Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Posted: 12:30 p.m.
CSNPhilly.com
Phillies (45-28) at Cardinals (40-33), 8:15 p.m. on WPHL
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.56) has walked just one batter in his last four outings, a span over which he struck out 28 batters. He is the league leader in wins, innings and complete games and ranks second in strikeouts. The Phillies have won each of Halladays last six starts.
Marlins: Kyle McClellan (6-3, 3.96) is coming off a pair of rough starts. Over his last two outings, he surrendered a combined 12 runs on 14 hits (three homers) in nine total innings. The Cardinals have lost three of McClellans last five starts.
Previous games
After winning seven straight from June 10-16, the Phillies have lost two of their last three games. Their most recent contest resulted in a 2-0 loss to the Mariners despite a solid pitching performance by Cole Hamels. It was the first time the Phils had been shut out since May 22.
The Cards are trending in the opposite direction. They had lost seven straight before starting their current two-game win streak, both victories coming over the Royals. In their last contest, the Cardinals hung 12 hits on the board en route to a 5-4 win.
Head-to-head
The Cardinals took both games from the Phillies, outscoring Philadelphia 5-2 during the mid-May short series between the two clubs.
Ryan Howard, a St. Louis native, has historically dominated the Cardinals. In 184 career plate appearances, Howard is a .360 hitter with 15 homers and 46 RBIsJimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are a combined 0-for-10 against McClellanHalladay has faced the Cardinals twice, going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA.
Whos hot?
Howard has at least one hit in eight of his last nine games and four hits in his last eight at-batsRyan Theriot is 7-for-14 with four runs scored over his last four games.
Storylines
The Cardinals will enter this three-game series without Albert Pujols. The all-star first baseman fractured his forearm in a collision on Sunday. He is expected to miss six weeks with the injury.
Sound off
Outside of the Phils, six NL teams have winnings records: the Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, Giants, D-Backs and Braves. Which of these teams do you think presents the biggest obstacle to the Phils potential World Series run?