Gameday: Phillies (50-59) vs. Braves (65-45)
Philadelphia Phillies (50-59) vs Atlanta Braves (65-45)
John Lannan (3-4, 4.10) vs Brandon Beachy (0-0, 17.18 ERA)
Time: 4:05 Citizens Bank Park
Tv: Fox
Weather: 80, scattered thunderstorms
Coming off yet another disappointing loss (they’ve been doing that a lot, haven’t they?), the Phillies look to put a halt to their current two-game skid with a win over the first-place Braves tonight. That could be difficult to do.
That’s because the Phillies have called on back-of-the-rotation pitcher John Lannan to go in three day’s rest as the club tries to traverse another off day for Cliff Lee. Lee is scheduled to return to action tomorrow night, after missing a couple starts with a stiff neck. Over the course of his career, Lannan has never had to pitch on three day’s rest, so there’s virtually no telling how he’ll respond.
Throwing for the Braves will be Brandon Beachy, who is making just his second start of the season. Beachy, a once highly-touted prospect with good stuff who has had trouble catching on as a full-time starter in the bigs,has faced the Phils seven times in his career, including pitching against them in his MLB debut. He has posted a 3.68 ERA against them. He’s been much better in three starts at CBP, however, turning in a 2.25 ERA.
Lineup: Rollins SS, M. Young 1B, Utley 2B, D. Young RF, Ruf LF, Asche 3B, Mayberry CF, Ruiz C, Lannan P
If you’ve regularly been watching the Phillies, there’s a good chance you’ve already switched to a stronger European beer. If you haven’t yet, I recommend you do so today, starting with this German selection I recently discovered. Imported from Munich, Lowenbrau is bold and flavorful with a very heavy malty taste. There is a sweet undertone, which makes for a very smooth trip down the hatch. The beer won’t overwhelm the less-seasoned beer drinker with too much complexity, but is vibrant enough to satisfy all tastes.
