Preview Game 21: The Mets Come To Philly

This weekend the Phillies host the New York Mets in what will likely be the most talked about series of the year in the NL East. The Mets entered the 2009 season having made roster moves to takedown the Phillies after allowing the division title to slip through their own hands two years in a row to the eventual World Series champions.

While both teams typically feature a couple of the best left handed pitchers in the game (Johann Santana for the Mets and Cole Hamels for the Phillies), neither team will trot out their aces this weekend.

Look for some good offense as a result from both teams.

The Phillies will open the weekend set with Chan Ho Park looking for his first win of the season. Park won a SP job in spring training but has yet to impress in the regular season. Park’s ERA is currently, 7.16 and could really use a good outing to show why he won the job.

Park had a solid outing against the Marlins in his last start, but ran into trouble in one inning, allowing them to score all of their runs in one frame.  The Phillies rebounded to win the game though.

The Mets will counter with Mike Pelfrey who is also looking for a good outing. His 6.32 ERA makes it a little more surprising that he enters tonight’s game with a 2-0 record.

Carlos Beltran is the biggest offensive threat for the Mets it seems, hitting .388 with 31 hits and 14 RBI and 13 walks. Interesting to note though that David Wright has struck out 27 times in 2009, seven more times than Ryan Howard.

The Phillies seem to have the slight upper hand entering this series so you should expect a series win this weekend. Don’t forget that the Phillies will play a pair of road games in New York next week so this next week will be fun to watch (hopefully).

Jimmy Rollins needs to get his swing in gear, and he predicts he will hit .400 in the month of May. He loves playing against the Mets so maybe tonight will be the spark he has been waiting for.

Phillies Record: 11-9
Mets Record: 9-12

NL East Standings (Team, record, games behind):

1. Marlins 14-8, –
2. PHILLIES 11-9, 2
3. Braves 10-11, 3.5
4. Mets 9-12, 4.5
5. Nationals 5-16, 8.5

NL East Power Rankings

1. Braves
2. PHILLIES
3. Marlins
4. Mets
5. Nationals

Pitching probables: Park (0-0, 7.16 ERA) vs. Pelfrey (2-0, 6.32 ERA)

TV: Comcast Sportsnet

First pitch: 7:05 pm

Season Series: First meeting

Game open thread will be posted at 6:30pm. Not likely to get a game recap up though due to the weekend schedule (which is normal around here). Look for just open threads on Saturday and Sunday as well!

 

This was originally posted on Macho Row.

For Phillies and Mets, the Time Is Now

Recap: Philadelphia Phillies Lose Series Finale to Washington Nationals 4-1

When Shane Victorino hit a first inning home run to jump on top of the Washington Nationals it would be a lie to say I didn’t say “Alright, here we go again.”

Like many Phillies fans I was expecting the Phillies’ offense to continue their recent hot streak and jump all over Scott Olsen early on en route to a solid victory and series sweep.

Olsen had other things in mind. The left handed pitcher went 5.2 innings (although I think he was pulled a little early) and scattered six hits and only allowed Victorino’s home run for the Phillies’ lone run of the night. Olsen struck out six batters and the Nationals bullpen finally held on to a late inning lead, winning 4-1.

Brett Myers got the start for the Phillies and was pegged with the loss, although he pitched ok. He got into a bases loaded jam in the third inning and actually walked in a run at the time, but he escaped with no more damage done.

Myers gave up two runs in the sixth inning though after giving up some base hits in the inning. Myers’ line shows three earned runs on eight hits and three strike outs and three walks.

The Phillies had some opportunities to score more runs tonight but failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Chase Utley went hit less and the bottom of the lineup (Pedro Feliz, Chris Coste and pinch hitters/Myers) failed to reach base except for one walk by Coste.

Jimmy Rollins had a two hit game which nudged his season batting average above .200 (.207).

The Phillies have an off day today before starting a weekend series with the New York Mets. The Phillies fall to a game and a half behind the Florida Marlins with the Marlins winning yesterday in New York.

This was originally published on Macho Row, a dedicated Phillies website.

Preview: Phillies vs. Padres

The Phillies got back in the winning column yesterday with a walk-off home run by Raul Ibanez to defeat the San Diego Padres by a score of 5-4. Tonight the Phillies look to earn a series split with a win, weather pending.

Should the weather hold out the Phillies will send Jamie Moyer to the mound. Moyer’s last outing came on the hours after Harry Kalas passed away in the booth. Today should be less of an emotional situation for the veteran, but it will still be difficult. The Padres have been having their way with the Phillies for the most part and have proven themselves to be a very fierce competitor.

The Padres have come from behind to win the first two games of this series, and failed to hold onto a lead yesterday when closer Heath Bell was deemed unavailable. The Padres will send Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.09 ERA) to face the Phillies batters.

The Phillies need a complete game on both sides of the ball. The offense has been sluggish at times and explosive at others. The pitching seems to falter from the starting position or the bullpen position on a game by game basis. The defense has had some mistakes, but has been the strong suit overall it seems. Ryan Howard‘s defense has been exceptional!

Phillies Record: 5-6
Padres Record: 9-4

NL East Standings (Team, record, games behind):

1. Marlins 11-1, –
2. Braves 6-6, 5
3. Mets 6-6, 5
4. PHILLIES 5-6, 5.5
5. Nationals 1-10, 9.5

Pitching probables: Moyer (1-1, 6.55 ERA) vs. Correia (0-1, 4.09 ERA)

TV: Comcast Sportsnet

First pitch: 7:05 p.m.

Game thread will be posted at 6:30 p.m. Game recap up tomorrow morning.

 

This was originally published on Macho Row.

Phillies-Nationals: A Preview

The Phillies will be back in action today in Washington in game two of the series with the Nationals. Monday was course a tragic day but in the baseball sense the Phillies rallied together to win their third straight game. Looking to keep the winning streak going before heading home, the Phillies will send Joe Blanton to the mound.

The Phillies won in Blanton’s first start of the year, but it had nothing to do with the starting pitcher. Blanton has an ERA of 15.75 after his first outing, but the beauty of early season games is that stats can change dramatically in a hurry.

The Nationals counter with Shairon Martis, who went three innings against the Braves in his first start and allowed three earned runs on five hits (including a home run) and walked one. His night was cut short due to a rain delay.

The Phillies offense seems to have come alive after a sluggish start against Atlanta. Now if they can just get a solid outing out of a starting pitcher in which early runs (and home runs in general) don’t make it necessary to score a lot of runs. Brad Lidge already has three saves but he has also made for some interesting endings, giving up a quick two-run home run in the series opener.

The Nationals are still looking for their first win of 2009 and they are always a pesky team for the Phillies and don’t expect that to change anytime soon. They are due for a win, and it could very well come today.

Phillies Record: 4-3
Nationals Record: 0-6

NL East Standings (Team, Record, Games Behind)

1. Marlins 6-1, –
2. Braves 5-2, 1
3. PHILLIES 4-3, 2
4. Mets 3-4, 4
5. Nationals 0-7, 6

NL East Power Rankings

1. Marlins
2. Braves
3. PHILLIES
4. Mets
5. Nationals

Pitching probables: Blanton (0-0, 15.75 ERA) vs. Martis (0-0, 9.00 ERA)

TV: MyPHL17

First pitch: 7:05 pm

Game thread will be posted at 6:30 pm. Game recap will be up tomorrow morning.

 

This was originally posted on Macho Row.

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