Atlanta Braves (2-0) at Philadelphia Phillies (0-2)
Javier Vazquez vs. Joe Blanton
Time: 3:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Weather: Mostly sunny, 50
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Twitter: Phillies Nation
It’s April, which means the Phillies are at the bottom of the National League East. That luck can start to change today, however, as Joe Blanton makes his first 2009 start against the Braves. Blanton hasn’t lost as a Phillie, going 4-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason.
Javier Vazquez makes his first Atlanta start. The right-hander went 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA last season for the White Sox.
As mentioned before, the Phillies bullpen is perfect in 2009. They’ve thrown seven innings without giving up one hit or walk. The pitchers who’ve done the damage: Chan Ho Park, Clay Condrey, Jack Taschner, Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin and Brad Lidge.
The Phillies are receiving their world champion rings before the game. We’ll have the photos.
Your gameday beer: Back to Dogfish, since I’m such a big fan. Their Aprihop is out right now. It’s a smooth spring brew with the pungent flavor of apricots dancing about. But this won’t make you feel fruity – on the contrary, the taste is just sweet enough to be recognizable, but not overpowering. It’s a little strong, so it’s perfect on this dreary, cold, almost snowy day. Eat a salad with it.
Go Phillies!
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
