Series Preview: vs. Florida Marlins

PHI: 9-3, 1st in NL East; FLA: 7-5, 2nd in NL East

When: April 15-17
Where: Citizens Bank Park (Philly, PA)

Probable Pitchers (UPDATED 4/16)
Friday: Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25) vs. Javier Vazquez (1-1, 8.64)
Saturday: PPD
Sunday: Cole Hamels (1-1, 5.59) vs. Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.97)

Broadcast Info
Friday, 7:05, CSN
Saturday, 7:05, TCN
Sunday, 1:35, PHL 17
All Games on 1210 AM

Player to Watch – LF Logan Morrison: LoMo is building himself a nice legacy among the Philadelphia fans of Twitter (@LoMoMarlins) – and he’s on a division rival!

Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison joked a few times on Twitter that he would be striking out a lot to the Phils rotation. Well if thats the case, well be seeing a lot more of this picture in the next three days. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

But his popularity among our fans isn’t the only reason to watch him play in his first trip to CBP this season. Morrison is an incredibly talented ball player. Batting .304 with a team-high three homers and nine RBIs, Morrison is an all-around threat at the plate. His .913 OPS is another indication of that.

Morrison is another one of the handful of young players the Marlins have currently on their roster. It makes for an incredible under rated offense. If they can put together a decent rotation and strong bull pen, they would be a serious threat. But if the past is any indication, LoMo could be traded or sign elsewhere, and the fans in Philly hope it’s there.

Overview: The Marlins are in second place in the NL East, currently two games behind the Phils. Florida is always off to a very good start but taper off as the season’s grind kicks in.

They are loaded with young talent such as outfielders Morrison, Mike Stanton and Chris Coghlan and first baseman Gabby Sanchez.

But Florida also has arguably the best player in baseball: Hanley Ramirez. He is the total package when it comes to a ball player: bat, speed and an excellent glove and arm. In 84 games in his career against the Phillies, he’s batting .295 with 28 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 32 RBIs. He’s also stolen 20/24 bases.

The pitching match-ups favor the Phillies incredible seeing as Florida has no one going with an ERA below 5.59. Josh Johnson, who started the other day, will not pitch this series against the Phils. Joe Blanton will look to have his first quality start of the season on Sunday, hopefully correcting his “poor mechanics” he claimed to be the problem.

The Marlins have the capability of giving the Phillies trouble all