Gameday: Phillies (11-6) vs. Padres (8-10)
Philadelphia Phillies (11-6) at San Diego Padres (8-10)
Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.50 ERA) vs. Mat Latos (0-2, 5.84 ERA)
Time: 10:05 pm, Petco Park
Weather: Sunny, 62
TV: The Comcast Network
Twitter: Phillies Nation
Time to start anew. That’s what the Phillies will do as they embark on a seven-game road swing starting tonight in San Diego. It’s the start of four with the Padres, a team they’ve done well against in the past few years.
Roy Oswalt gets the ball and has dominated the Dads. Oswalt is 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 18 games against San Diego, including 4-1 with a 1.79 ERA in nine outings at Petco Park. The Phillies have won seven straight and 20 of the last 24 on the road against the Padres.
There is no real issue with this Phillies pitching staff, although you can argue they haven’t been very sharp; at least not Halladay and Lee. Oswalt will look to buck that trend with the figures to back it up.
Offensively is where the problems lay. The Phillies did manage four runs yesterday and won the game because Lee kept them in it, but four runs is not going to make anyone around here, or in the clubhouse for that matter, happy. Four runs seems to be the magic number since the Phils haven’t scored more than that since April 10 in Atlanta.
Two home runs were hit yesterday, both by guys who don’t normally hit them: Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino. Petco Park poses problems in the power department, so a sudden surge is not to be expected. It would be nice, however.
Lineup: Victorino CF, Planco 3B, Rollins SS, Howard 1B, Francisco RF, Mayberry LF, Ruiz C, Valdez 2B, Lee P
Pete’s Brown Ale is a beer from the Bear Republic Beer Co. in California. It’s made with molasses and brown sugar, so it’s bitter, slow and thick. Eat a steak with a sweet potato with this one.
GO PHILLIES!
