Cleveland Indians (26-43) at Philadelphia Phillies (36-32)
Jake Westbrook, RHP (4-4, 4.76 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick, RHP (4-2, 4.48 ERA)
Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 85
TV: CSN
Twitter: @philliesnation
Welcome back Jimmy Rollins. Although the shortstop went 0-for-4 in his first appearance since May 21, everyone is happy he’s back in the lineup.
A few oddities for the Phils: With a victory tonight, the Phillies will earn their first Interleague series win at home since June of 2007 against the White Sox. Been a long time. Also, they have not managed a winning record in Interleague play since that same year when they went 8-7. The American League has not been kind.
Tonight, it’s Kyle Kendrick, who has been up and down this season, but is coming off a splendid outing against the Yankees last week. It would be impressive to see him build off of his seven innings of one run ball against a top-notch offense. The Indians ain’t the Yanks, but this could be a confidence building game tonight. Over his past four starts, he’s allowed six hits or less while walking just four total batters. His command is getting better.
Jake Westbrook starts for the Indians and very few Phillies have faced the righty, although those who have have rocked him. Raul Ibanez is 8-for-24 lifetime with a home run and two doubles from his time with Kansas City and Seattle. Plaicdo Polanco is 7-for-24. Ross Gload is 4-for-11 and Juan Castro is 5-for-14. Could this mean an offensive explosion? The weather is certainly conducive.
Injury News: J.A. Happ will be making a rehab appearance tonight in Reading. We’ll let you know how he makes out.
LINEUP: Rollins SS, Polanco 3B, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Victorino CF, Schneider C, Kendrick P
Your Gameday Beer– Great Lakes Brewing Co. Conway’s Irish Ale
In the spirit of the Indians in Philly, we’ll go with a Cleveland-made beverage. Great Lakes Brewing is in the heart of downtown Cleveland and they make some decent brews. Go with Conway’s Irish Ale tonight, which has won five gold medals in the World Beer Championships since 1995. The Ale is an homage to Patrick Conway, grandfather of co-owners Patrick and Daniel, and a Cleveland policeman whodirected traffic near the Brewery for 25 years. That right there makes it cool in my book. Drink up! – By Pat
Go Phillies!
Latest Comments