Categories: 2010 GamedayPosts

Gameday: Phillies (19-12) at Rockies (15-16)

Philadelphia Phillies (19-12) at Colorado Rockies (15-16)

Kyle Kendrick, RHP (1-1, 5.87 ERA) vs. Greg Smith, LHP (1-2, 6.35 ERA)

Time: 8:40 p.m at Coors Field

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 53

TV: Comcast SportsNet

What a difference a homestand makes. After April closed with plenty of questions about the Phillies’ starting rotation and bullpen, May has provided some welcome answers. Since losing the first game of a 10-game stay at Citizens Bank Park on April 30, the Phillies have won seven of their past nine games, a charge led by steady arms in the bullpen and consistent performances from the entire rotation.

Perhaps the best result from the homestand was that every pitcher had at least some success – including today’s starter, Kyle Kendrick, who shut out the potent Cardinals for seven innings on Wednesday after a shaky five innings in a loss to the Mets that started the 10-game stretch. With J.A. Happ still a ways off from returning, Joe Blanton needing a few starts to get up to speed after coming off the disabled list and Cole Hamels a toss-up from one start to the next, Kendrick’s importance to the rotation cannot be underestimated.

As for the lineup, what happened to Ryan Howard’s power? After homering in the first two games of the season, the Big Piece or Big N’ Tasty or whatever they’re calling him these days has only three blasts in the 29 games since. No matter how you look at it, Howard’s power is lagging, as is his run production overall, with only three RBIs this month. If there’s one thing that could help it’s a trip into the thin air of Coors Field – though Howard (and the lineup as a whole) historically hits better in hotter weather, and the game-time temperature for today’s and tomorrow’s games will be in the 50s, with Wednesday’s in the 40s and snow in the forecast. Certainly not what Charlie Manuel calls “hittin’ weather.”

Tonight’s Lineup: Victorino (CF), Polanco (3B), Utley (2B), Howard (1B), Werth (RF), Ibanez (LF), Ruiz (C), Valdez (SS), Kendrick (P)

Your Gameday Beer – Coors Original

In the spirit of this chilly, mile-high series, sip on a can of original Coors as you witness the Phillies hit the road. The “Banquet Beer,” as it’s known, is 5 percent ABV and is the oldest of the Coors beers. Buy a six-pack, eat some steak and potatoes with it, and be sure to dispose of the cans by stepping on them, just as the Phils will do to the Rockies tonight. – By Pat

GO PHILLIES!

Jon Fogg

Jon joined Phillies Nation in April 2010 and is perpetually grateful that the World Wide Web came along, allowing him to write about the team he has followed since, well, as long as he can remember. At his first Phils game, in 1991 against the Pirates at the Vet, Jon watched wide-eyed from one of those plastic, spine-numbing seats as a lanky outfielder named Barry Bonds cracked a two-run homer off Tommy Greene and a game-winning RBI double off Mitch Williams in the ninth. In those halcyon days, he listened to most games on the radio because cable TV didn’t extend out into in the remote swamps of South Jersey. Most days, you’ll find Jon looking for misplaced commas and devising flashy headlines at a newspaper; these days his publication of choice is the Baltimore Sun; he’s also worked at The (Allentown) Morning Call and The Washington Times.