Florida Marlins (7-5) at Philadelphia Phillies (8-3)
Nate Robertson (1-0, 3.60) vs. Cole Hamels (2-0, 5.06)
Time: 1:35, Citizens Bank Park
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 60 degrees
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Twitter: @philliesnation and below
Win the series – that’s what the Phillies need to do; and in this rubber match, it is up to Cole Hamels to get the job done. Shaky in his previous two starts this season, Cole is 0-5 against the Marlins in his career. Yikes!
Hamels will look to turn things around with an offense behind him that continues to pump out runs – except for last night. The Phils were shut down by Ricky Nolasco, crossing the plate just one time on a Jayson Werth home run in the 9th inning of a 5-1 loss. Cole knows he needs to stay in the game and not let anything rattle him, which tends to happen. Through those first two starts, he has two victories, but his 5.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP are certainly cause for concern. His K/9 is still very respectable at 9.3, however, his 4.2 BB/9 is a definite spike – he’s been at an average of 2.1 the last three seasons.
He’ll be opposed by Nate Robertson, who brought over from Detroit just before the start of the season. He hasn’t faced the Phillies since 2002, back when he was a relief pitcher. Only a handful of current Phils have ever batted against Robertson, with Ross Gload having some success at 5-for-11.
Today’s lineup will feature Ben Francisco in place of Raul Ibanez in left field. Raul has been in a bit of a funk to begin the season (7-for-40, .175) although he has been reaching base via the walk. Francisco has faced Robertson three times in his career and has an RBI.
Keep an eye out for Cameron Maybin, who is red hot, having scored 10 runs in the first 12 games for Florida. The young centerfielder appears to finally be getting it after a few back-and forth seasons in the majors. Chris Coghlan is a career .410 hitter against the Phillies, although he did go 0-for-4 yesterday. He’s batting second for FLA.
LINEUP: Victorino (CF), Polanco (3B), Utley (2B), Howard (1B), Werth (RF), Francisco (LF), Castro (SS), Ruiz (C), Hamels (P)
Your gameday beer: Anchor Steam Liberty Ale
A special top-fermenting ale yeast is used during fermentation and is responsible for many of Liberty Ale‘s subtle flavors and characteristics. Carbonation is produced by an entirely natural process called “bunging,” which produces champagne-like bubbles. Enjoy with some steaks on the grill for today’s game.
— Pat Gallen
Go Phillies!
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