Gamenight: Red Sox (44-28) At Phillies (41-30)
The Phillies jump into Interleague Play tonight with the first of a three-game set against the American League’s best team, the World Champion Boston Red Sox. It’ll be a doozy here in Philly; Red Sox fans will be invading the Bank, but Phils fans will show their spirit just as much. The series is being highly touted as a World Series preview, and no doubt it is.
Cole Hamels gets the start after a great performance in a loss to the Marlins. He’ll face Bartolo Colon, who has been pretty decent since joining the Sox and coming back from injury. He represented a possible addition to the team’s pitching corps at a low-risk/high-reward standpoint. Instead the Phillies took a flier with Kris Benson, who is still slowly rehabbing in Clearwater.
The Phils and Sox represent two of the country’s more glamorized franchises. Big-name players abound. Whose big-five would you rather take? The Phils’ Howard, Utley, Burrell, Rollins and Hamels or the Sox’ Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell, Beckett and Dice-K?
Of course, Ortiz and Dice-K are both injured and not playing tonight, though Matzusaka is in Lehigh Valley pitching against the IronPigs in a rehab start. Enjoy this one; this series should be fun.
A thunderstorm watch is in effect.
Phillies: Cole Hamels (6-4) 3.27 ERA
Red Sox: Bartolo Colon (4-1) 3.41 ERA
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 81, thunderstorms
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Hamels
MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday
Your gamenight beer: Don’t worry, I won’t recommend anything from the Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams) or the Harpoon Brewery. No, I’m staying local. Tonight it’s Flying Fish ESB Amber Ale. It’s a top-three for me, a dry but delicious ale that gets you tipsy quick. Good for warm nights. Eat a nice steak dinner with it.
Go Phillies!
