PHI: 35-24, 1st in NL East; LAD: 28-32, 3rd in NL West
When: June 6-8
Where: Citizens Bank Park (Philly, PA)
Probable Pitchers
Monday: Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.94) vs Ted Lilly (4-4, 4.22)
Tuesday: Roy Oswalt (3-3, 2.70) vs Rubby De La Rosa (1-0, 1.80)
Wednesday: Cole Hamels (7-2, 2.83) vs Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.46)
Broadcast Info
Monday, 7:05, CSN
Tuesday, 7:05, CSN
Wednesday, 7:05, CSN
All Games on 1210 AM
Player to Watch – Matt Kemp: Kemp has been incredibly on fire this season. He’s leading the team with 16 homers and 48 RBIs on top of batting .323. He’s also leading the team with 14 stolen bases and 38 runs scored.
Kemp supplies a rare combination of power, speed and a great glove. He’s one of the most valuable assets to this Dodgers team, who is trying to defy the doubters that they could have a successful season.
Kemp was just really breaking out when the Dodgers were making those late post season runs. And with as mature a player he has become now, he and Andre Ethier are the corner stones to this team’s success in the future.
Overview: Whenever LA is in town, memories of the 2008 and 2009 NLCS always come back to the minds of fans.
But this time around, also coming back to the minds of Phillies fans is former 1st base coach Davey Lopes, who decided to not re-sign with the Phillies because he felt he should have been paid more. This season, the Phils have converted 84% of their steals and are on pace for 115 stolen bases. Last season, they averaged 83.7% and stole 108. I think he’s over rated.
But not to take any focus away from the players, LA is finding themselves in a huge pitching miss-match. Though the Dodgers won’t have Roy Halladay to worry about, they will have the other three aces of the Phils staff breathing down their necks.
And they won’t be countering with Clayton Kershaw, which really favors the Phils and their left-handed hitting line up. Today’s match-up will feature a lefty but Ted Lilly has struggled greatly in his career against the Phils, going 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA.
Kemp is the only guy supplying the power in LA this season surprisingly. His 16 homers tower the five hit by Ethier, seven by Rod Barajas and three by James Loney. But that doesn’t mean Kemp is the only one producing. Ethier is hitting a team-high .325 and has driven in 28 homers. Loney has driven in 20 RBIs and Jamey Carrol is batting .300 and is second on the team with 32 runs.
TTB 