PHI: 45-28, 1st in NL East; STL: 40-33, 1st in NL Central
When: June 21-23
Where: Busch Stadium (St. Louis, MO)
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday: Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.56) vs Kyle McClellan (6-3, 3.96)
Wednesday: Cliff Lee (7-5, 3.12) vs Kyle Lohse (7-3, 2.88)
Thursday: Roy Oswalt (4-5, 3.38) vs Chris Carpenter (1-7, 4.47)
Broadcast Info
Tuesday, 8:15, PHL 17
Wednesday, 8:15, CSN
Thursday, 8:15, PHL 17
All Games on 1210 AM
Player to Watch – Matt Holliday: Holliday has the pressure of being the big bat now with Albert Pujols on the DL with a fractured wrist. And Holliday himself is coming off the DL to at least give St. Louis a source of power with Pujols’ absence.
Holliday is 5-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs in his four games off the DL. On the season, Holliday is enjoying a great season, batting .347 with 14 doubles, eight homers and 35 RBIs.
Overview: The Phils were swept in the previous two-game series in Philly against the Cards. And the interesting part in that is the Phils will not face either Jaime Garcia or Jake Westbrook this series, the two pitchers they faced a month ago.
Instead, the Phils will face two of St. Louis’ pitchers who are enjoying good seasons and one of their struggling aces. Kyle McClellan and Kyle Lohse are both pitching strong for a Cardinals, who are tied for first with the Brewers.
Chris Carpenter’s 1-7 record and 4.47 ERA are way off his normal Cy Young-contending numbers he puts up year in and year out.
The Phillies will be throwing their three best arms at the Cardinals this series. Roy Halladay is seeking his 10th win on the season while Cliff Lee is looking to continue his run of incredible starts, including a two-hitter he tossed last Thursday.
Pujols absence is going to be huge for the Cards heading into this series. Lance Berkman and Holliday will be be the key providers for the Cardinals offense. Berkman’s average is down to .308 since his hot start but he’s still hitting 17 homers and 51 RBIs for St. Louis. But Berkman hasn’t had a two-hit game since June 9.
Shane Victorino has been on a tear as of late. The Flyin’ Hawaiian got his average up to .299 and his hitting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 10 games from the two-spot.
TTB 