Gameday: Phillies (32-29) at Yankees (40-23)

Philadelphia Phillies (32-29) at New York Yankees (40-23)

Roy Halladay, RHP (8-4, 1.96 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia, RHP (6-3, 4.01 ERA)

Time: 7:10, Yankee Stadium
Weather: Clear, 70
TV: MyPHL 17/MLB Network
Twitter: @philliesnation

World Series re-match? Check. All-World pitching duel? Check. Two of the best teams in baseball going head-to-head? Wait…

We all believe in our heart of hearts that the Phillies are one of the elite teams in all of baseball. Now’s the time to show it. What better way to do so than to send Roy Halladay out there to slap the Yanks around.  After all, Doc owns the Bronx Bombers over his career. In 35 career starts as part of the Blue Jays, Halladay has an 18-6 record with a 2.84 ERA.  He’s worked his magic over NYY in 247 career innings. But as we all know, shutting down the opposition hasn’t really been a problem.

Perhaps the Phils have a case of run-scoring amnesia. They’ve straight-up forgotten how to cross home plate.  They’d better un-forget quickly or this could be another lost series, just as the Boston set was.  New York can score with the best of ’em.  The three teams at the top of the AL East lead the Majors in runs scored (NYY-355, BOS-353, TB-333). The Phils rank (GASP!) 20th in all of baseball. I know we all keep talking about them breaking out of this slump, but this is seriously getting rather old.

CC Sabathia will be the man in charge of making the Phillies look foolish. Can they buck the trend against their old foe? Sabathia is familiar with the Phils, but it’s Chase Utley who has given him nightmares.  In Utley’s 5-homer World Series against New York, three came off of Sabathia. It’s not a dream matchup for Chase, however, his track record speaks for itself against the Yankees ace.

He’ll get to prove he’s the same guy from the World Series last year in the second spot of the Phils lineup. Charlie Manuel has shifted the order a bit, check it out below:

LINEUP: Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Polanco 3B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Francisco DH, Castro SS, Ruiz C (Halladay P)

Your Gameday Beer: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

This is odd, yet kind of cool at the same time. It was once a drink for lactating mothers way, waaay back when.  Sam Smith makes a damn good beer and this one an has a nice, silky texture, with a bittersweet finish. A four pack of this stuff will run you about $10-12 but it’s well worth it.  It shouldn’t be served too cold either – the temp should be about 55 degrees.  Eat it with Italian food or a nice Tuna Steak and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. – By Pat

Go Phillies!