Philadelphia Phillies (20-13) at Milwaukee Brewers (15-19)
Time: 8:10 p.m at Miller Park
TV: WPHL
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 65
Twitter: @philliesnation
I’ll be completely honest with you, Phillies Nation readership. You shouldn’t watch this game. I most likely will not watch this game. There are far more important things happening in Philadelphia sports this evening, so turn on the Flyers game and make some noise for the what could be the last game of a truly bizarre season.
But if you are watching this game, either because you don’t like hockey or because of an irrational fear of Canadians, here’s what you have to look forward to. A week ago tonight, Jamie Moyer pulled his smoke-and-mirrors act on Atlanta to the tune of a two-hit shutout. While we most likely won’t see a repeat of that performance tonight, Moyer has lowered his WHIP to a quite-impressive 1.08.
Meanwhile, the injury list for the Phillies continues to be long and distinguished. The Phils are down to their third-string shortstop, closer, and now catcher, as they’ve traded in a guy who sucks up balls like a vacuum (Carlos Ruiz) for a guy who’s named after a vacuum (Paul Hoover). Exxon Wilson Valdez will continue to deputize at shortstop.
Opposing this patchwork lineup will be a familiar face, as the Brewers turn to veteran lefty Randy Wolf. Wolf, in three starts against the team that brought him to the majors, has been completely average, going 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. The Brewers are capable of scoring tons of runs, with Ryan Braun and third baseman Casey McGehee both slugging well north of .500. However, their offense has been, if you’ll excuse the pun, rather hit-or-miss of late. We’ll see which they do to Jamie Moyer’s gallery of batting practice pitches this evening. That is, if something happens and we can’t watch the Flyers game.
Lineup: Victorino (CF), Polanco (3B), Utley (2B), Howard (1B), Werth (RF), Ibanez (LF), Valdez (SS), Hoover (C), Moyer (P)
I know we’ve been going heavy on the Sam Adams recently, but this one’s not bad. It actually doesn’t taste as much like beer as it tastes like blackberry lemonade, which, unfortunately, makes it a little bit of a girly libation. But for our more macho readers, if you’re enjoying the game in the privacy of your own home or with friends who won’t judge you, then by all means, have some. I know I’ve done far more feminine things when no one’s watching. -By Michael