Los Angeles Dodgers (29-33) at Philadelphia Phillies (36-25)
Hiroki Kuroda (5-6, 3.46 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-2, 2.83 ERA)
Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
Weather: Sunny/Hot, 95
TV: CSN
Twitter: Phillies Nation
INJURY UPDATE:
-Still no J-Roll. Charlie Manuel is hopefully Rollins can play tomorrow, although nothing has been set in stone. Rollins was seen taking grounders at shortstop around 5 p.m. and looking alright, so it may be just one more until he’s back in the lineup.
Now onto tonight, where it could get ugly again…
That’s because Hiroki Kuroda is on the mound and the Phillies just cannot hit him under any circumstances. The numbers are staggering. In 4 career starts against the Phillies, Kuroda is 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA and an opponents batting average of .084. Good God! What’s even worse is that Brian Schneider has two of the six hits from this team against Kuroda. Chase Utley has two more and is out of the lineup. So the remaining players that have faced Kuroda that are active tonight are 2-for-42. In the words of Chris Wheeler, “ah, jeez!”
The good news, Cole Hamels has been pretty outstanding against L.A. in his career. Including the postseason, in 8 starts, Hamels is 5-0 with a 2.52 ERA. So he knows a thing or two about beating the Dodgers. However, something’s gotta give here (unless they both get ND’s and I look like a fool).
Bold prediction: It stays really hot tonight on the field. I can’t promise anything else.
PHILLIES LINEUP:
Victorino CF, Brown RF, Polanco 3B, Howard 1B, Ibanez LF, Ruiz C, Valdez SS, Martinez 2B Oswalt P
Your Gameday Beer– Port Brewing Co. SPA (summer pale ale)
You’ll need something to refresh you, and that won’t be easy on his hot evening. That’s why we present to you a refreshing summer pale ale from Port Brewing, from Southern California. SPA is a largely citric and piney blast of hop aromas that greet you. It has a very dry finish, but will refresh you nonetheless. Some corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, and filets on the grill would kindly go with this brew. -By Pat
GO PHILLIES
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