Gameday: Phillies (21-23) vs Nationals (26-17)
Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.31) vs. Cole Hamels (6-1, 2.48)
Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
TV: CSN, ESPN2
Weather: Cloudy, 74, chance of t-storms
Media: Twitter and Facebook
The Phillies, who are already on a season high four game losing streak, hope to avoid a sweep at the hands of their new rivals the Nationals. The Phils nearly got swept earlier this season in Washington, but a solid start by Cole Hamels and a mini offensive explosion helped the Phillies to victory.
Hamels will be on the mound again tonight, which means the highly anticipated round two of Hamels v Harper will indeed happen. As for the other hitters that Hamels will face, most have not fared well against him in the past.
The highest average by anyone with more than ten at-bats against Hamels in tonight’s Nats lineup is Ryan Zimmerman at .269 (Rick Ankiel is 4-10 and Bryce Harper is 2-3). I would expect Hamels to continue his dominance tonight.
For the Nats, Edwin Jackson will get the start, and he’s fairly unfamiliar to most of tonight’s lineup. They only have a combined 50 plate appearances against him, with Freddy Galvis having never faced him before. The last time he faced the Phillies, he shut them down in Game 4 of the NLDS. The Phillies are hoping that tonight goes differently than that night.
Lineup: Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Victorino CF, Wigginton 1B, Galvis SS, Fontenot 2B, Hamels P
Your gameday beer: Yeah man. Here’s Dogfish 90 Minute IPA. The 90 Minute is a sterling beer, flavorful and not overly strong in taste. But it hits you, and it hits you hard. It’s 9 percent, so it gets you good after a few. Drink with caution. And eat some mussels with it. – By Tim
GO PHILLIES!
