Categories: Posts

Gameday: Phillies (29-33) vs. Twins (24-35)

Philadelphia Phillies (29-32) vs. Minnesota Twins (24-35)

Kyle Kendrick (2-5, 4.44) vs. Nick Blackburn (2-4, 7.75)

Time: 8:10, Target Field
TV: CSN
Weather: Clear, 65
Media: Twitter and Facebook

#VOTECHOOCH has boosted Carlos Ruiz to 3rd overall in the National League for catchers behind Yadier Molina and Buster Posey. Keep on voting!

Now, to actual baseball, which hasn’t been pretty for either team taking the field tonight. There are only two teams with a worse home record than the Phillies, and the Twins are one of them. Minnesota is 11-18 at Target Field, while the Phillies actually surprisingly excel away from the Bank, posting a 17-14 record so far this year.

The bad news for the Phillies is that they’ve slipped to 8.5 game back in the division by the Washinton Nationals. The somewhat-OK news is that there are two wild card teams this season and the Phillies find themselves just 5.5 out of that. For as bad as things have gone this season, I think that’s quite surprising.

Chase Utley is batting third for the Clearwater Threshers tonight, the first game of his actual rehab assignment. No more extended spring games and all that garbage. The clock has begun to tick. However, at least for tonight, he will DH. Look for him to play the field soon.

Lineup: Rollins SS, Pierre LF, Pence RF, Thome DH, Victorino CF, Wigginton 1B, Ruiz C, Fontenot 3B, Martinez 2B

GAMEDAY BEER: Rum Runner

No beer on the menu tonight. After just returning from a trip to Mexico, it was often too hot to drink cerveza and have it stay cold for longer than five minutes. Enter the Rum Runner. It’s loaded with bacardi and mixed with a fruit smoothie concoction. Here’s to a good, old-fashioned mixed beverage. -By Pat

Go Phillies!

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.