Friday, July 22, 2011
Posted: 12:30 p.m.
Phillies (61-36) vs. Padres (44-55), 7:05 on CSN
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Cole Hamels (11-5, 2.71) is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, a 4 13-inning disaster against the Mets on July 16. He allowed seven earned on eight hits while walking four. The last time Hamels got bombed by the Mets, in his first start of the season, he responded with seven shutout innings in a win over the Braves.
Padres: Cory Luebke (3-3, 2.57) spent the front end of the season as part of the Padres bullpen, but he has since moved into the starting rotation. In four starts this season, Luebke has allowed just four earned runs over 24 innings. He earned a win over the Giants in his last outing, a seven-inning, four-hit performance.
Previous games
After dropping three of four to the Giants to start the second half, San Diego swept a three-game set with the Marlins. Their most recent contest, a 5-3 win over Florida, saw the Padres lethal threesome of relievers (Chad Qualls, Mike Adams and Heath Bell) toss three scoreless innings to preserve a two-run lead and secure the teams fourth victory in five games.
In the Phils last game, Vance Worley continued his dominance with a seven-inning, one-run performance. The offense also erupted with nine runs on 12 hits as the Phils topped the Cubs 9-1 in the series finale. Since the All-Star break, the Phils have four of six.
Head-to-head
The Phils swept a four-game series with the Padres in April, outscoring San Diego 12-3.
Ryan Ludwick is 5-for-15 (.333) with two homers off Hamels for his careerOrlando Hudson has just five hits off Hamels in 22 at-bats, striking out in eight of his ABs against HamelsLuebke has pitched against the Phils twice, allowing no runs on just three hits in three innings of workIn 10 starts against the Padres, Hamels is 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA. He has a WHIP of 0.866 versus San Diego, his lowest against any team hes faced 10 or more times.
Whos hot?
Jimmy Rollins has multiple hits in seven of his last 10 games. He is 11-for-23 (.478) over his last five games with three homers, six RBIs and eight runs scored.
MLB
Cameron Maybin has a seven-game hit streak, and he has notched nine hits in his last three games. He has scored eight runs and stolen seven bases since July 14. Jason Bartlett has also been hot over his last three games, piling up eight hits in 14 at-bats over that span.
Storylines
Theres a lot going on with the Phillies on the injury front. On Thursday, Placido Polanco had a series of injections in his lower back to relieve pain and reduce swelling. The team will evaluate his progress over the next few days. Roy Oswalt, who is also suffering from lower back problems, received a shot of his own and is feeling much better. He threw a bullpen in Chicago on Tuesday. Finally, Joe Blantons elbow issues have not subsided during his rehab time. He will be reevaluated by team physicians this weekend.
Sound off
Of the three injured players listed above (Polanco, Oswalt and Blanton), who would you rather have back at full strength?