PHI: 45-54, 5th in NL East; ATL: 54-44, 2nd in NL East
When: July 27-29
Where: Turner Field (Atlanta, GA)
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.23) vs Ben Sheets (2-0, 0.00)
Saturday: Joe Blanton (8-8, 4.70) vs Mike Minor (5-7, 5.49)
Sunday: Roy Halladay (4-5, 4.32) vs Tim Hudson (9-4, 3.71)
Broadcast Info
Friday, 7:35, CSN
Saturday, 7:10, CSN
Sunday, 1:35, PHL 17
All Games on 94.1 FM
Player to Watch – 1B Freddie Freeman: Freeman is a big ole country boy with a lot of pop in his bat. He’s hitting .273 and is second on the team with 13 home runs and leads with 60 RBIs. Freeman does strike out a lot and is a streaky hitter. He’ll either be dangerous during this series or disappear.
Series Overview: The Phillies have to keep on streaking. The offense is fully healthy (kinda) and the rotation is in full swing, granted getting hammered against the Brewers.
This series has all the ingredients to be important. The Braves are a division rival battling for first place within the division and the Phillies are looking to show teams that they have some second half magic left in them.
Freeman isn’t the only hitter to keep an eye on in this series. All-Star outfielder Michael Bourn is having another nice season as he enters free agency. Bourn is hitting .299 with eight homers and 40 RBIs, leading the team with 28 stolen bases.
Brian McCann is having a down year at the dish, hitting .242 with a team high 16 homers as well as 51 RBIs. Jason Heyward (.270, 15, 48) and Martin Prado (.304, 5, 42) should also not be overlooked.
The Braves have seven guys with at least 40 RBIs, showing that their run production can come from anywhere in the line up.
Newly paid Cole Hamels will start this series off for the Phils, taking on Braves newly acquired Ben Sheets. Sheets, who the Phillies were looking at around May/June when the rotation was battling injuries, is 2-0 without allowing an earned run yet this year.
Joe Blanton and Roy Halladay will wrap it up against Mike Minor and Tim Hudson. The Halladay/Hudson battle will be one to watch, especially because Halladay was still rusty in his second start coming off the DL against the Brewers.
TTB 