Categories: 2011 GamedayAnalysisNewsOpinionPosts

Gameday: Phillies (25-14) vs. Cardinals (22-19)

Philadelphia Phillies (25-14) at St. Louis Cardinals (22-19)

Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.78 ERA) vs. Jake Westbrook (2-3, 6.92 ERA)

Time: 7:00 pm, Busch Stadium
Weather: Clear, 55
TV: CSN/ESPN
Twitter: Phillies Nation

OSWALT BACK:

Roy Oswalt has rejoined in mates in St. Louis and will start tomorrow night against Jaime Garcia. He’ll throw roughly 65 pitches and says his back isn’t an issue, he’s no longer dealing with any pain. Oswalt hasn’t pitched since April 26 in Arizona. In five starts with the Phillies this season, he is 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA.

To make room on the 25-man roster, the Phillies optioned righthander Vance Worley to triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies want to keep him stretched out as a starter, and leaving him in the bullpen would be a bit of a mistake for a team that has had to deal with some injuries to their starting pitchers lately. For now, Scott Matheison stays.

VICTORINO OK:

Shane Victorino likely won’t be back in the lineup until the Phillies return home on Wednesday, but he and the team are sure a DL stint is not in the future. We’ve heard that one before, so we’ll see. Can never rule anything like that out. Victorino is dealing with a bit of a hammy pull.

@ THE CARDS:

Ryan Howard crushes this team, especially at Busch Stadium. His career numbers are as follows: .388 avg. with 8 HR, 31 RBIs and a .520 on-base percentage. That’s the good news. The bad; Cliff Lee has gotten five runs of support the last five games.

(NOTE: Albert Pujols will play third base tonight. He’s played just one inning of 3rd (May 2nd) in the last eight season. Must watch TV, the guy is pretty awesome!)

Can this lineup help??

PHILLIES LINEUP:

Rollins SS, Valdez 3B, Ibanez LF, Howard 1B, Mayberry CF, Francisco RF, Orr 2B, Ruiz C, Lee P

Your Gameday Beer– Bud Light Chelada

If you can stomach the thought of Bud beer and tomato juice, or the taste, then by all means get on this. People believe the taste to be so bad that it’s received an F grade overall by BeerAdvocate.com. Still, don’t listen to them, try it for yourself. If you’re a clam/tomato juice fan, then maybe it’s for your. But if you stomach is weak, then I’d stay away. Just go with Bud Light Lime in that case. – By Pat

Pat Gallen

Pat joined Phillies Nation in July 2009, coming over from Examiner.com. As a previous employee of both Comcast SportsNet and the National Basketball Association, Pat prides himself on being a well-rounded individual when it comes to sports. However, the Phillies are first on the list. You’ll usually find Pat chiming in on the Phillies Nation Facebook or Twitter account, weekdays on 97.3 ESPN radio or hosting Phillies Nation TV. He’s also a Senior Writer for the site, and in his free time is a music enthusiast and Will Ferrell movie-follower. His favorite beer: Philly’s own Yards. In 2015, Pat moved on from Phillies Nation as a sports anchor and reporter for CBS-3 in Philadelphia.