Game 124: Phillies at Padres (3/3)

Philadelphia Phillies: 65-58
San Diego Padres: 48-75

Cole Hamels (9-8 3.32 ERA, 1-1 2.86 ERA)
Cha Seung Baek (4-6 5.12 ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

Hairston CF 2/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .667/.667/2.000
Giles RF 2/10, 1 RBI, .200/.200/.300
Kouzmanoff 3B 0/5
Gonzalez 1B 3/9, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.400/.667
Headley LF N/A
Iguchi 2B 0/7
Bard C N/A
Rodriguez SS N/A
Baek P

Last night may have been rock bottom for the Phillies, and I hope it was. Once again, the offense was left baffled against a starter that's quite frankly, not very good. They got off to a strong start by scoring two and making him throw a lot of pitches early, but for some reason, things just shut down. Kyle Kendrick also had maybe his worst outing of the year against one of the worst lineups in baseball this year. It's unfortunate that this was the only game on the road trip I could see, because it could've been the worst.

Anything can happen in baseball, but if there's ever a mismatch, it's this one. Baek is a career bad pitcher, and I can't fathom the Phillies' lineup pulling another disappearing act. Hamels is due for a win, and he's got a great shot in this ballpark against this lineup.

Game 123: Phillies at Padres (2/3)

Philadelphia Phillies: 65-57
San Diego Padres: 47-75

Kyle Kendrick (10-6 4.74 ERA, 1-0 1.50 ERA)
Chad Reineke (0-0 -.-- ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Kendrick P

Gerut CF N/A
Giles RF N/A
Kouzmanoff 3B 0/3
Gonzalez 1B 1/2, .500/.667/.500
Headley LF N/A
Iguchi 2B N/A
Hundley C N/A
Rodriguez SS N/A

Tonight, I'd expect another game in which not many runs are scored. Partly because the Padres have very little offense, partly because the teams have a total of six plate appearances against the opposing pitcher. I find it hard to believe that Reineke will even be decent, considering his age and level in the minors. The Phillies should be able to score more than one run tonight.

If the Phillies can recover and win the next two, a 3-4 road trip wouldn't be the end of the world. They come home to the Nationals, and they can probably handle them too. It's the last time the Phillies go out west, so returning one fewer game above .500 isn't bad. You would've liked to see them beat the Dodgers, who are actually a good team, but it's about how many wins you get, not who you get them against.

Game 28: Padres at Phillies (2/3)

San Diego Padres: 10-17
Philadelphia Phillies: 15-12

Chris Young (1-2 3.77 ERA, 1-1 1.46 ERA)
Jamie Moyer (1-1 4.05 ERA, 7-6 4.41 ERA)

Projected lineups:

Giles RF 1/11, .091/.231/.091
Iguchi 2B 1/11, .091/.091/.091
Kouzmanoff 3B 3/6, .500/.500/.667
Gonzalez 1B 3/9, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .333/.300/1.000
Greene SS 1/11, .091/1.67/.091
Huber LF N/A
Hairston CF 0/1
Bard C 5/13, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .385/.429/.692
Young P

Werth CF N/A
Dobbs 3B 1/8, .125/.222/.125
Utley 2B 2/5, .400/.400/.600
Howard 1B 0/0, .000/1.000/.000
Burrell LF 2/6, 2 RBI, .333/.333/.333
Jenkins RF 1/2, 1 RBI, .500/.500/1.500
Ruiz C 0/3
Bruntlett SS 0/1
Moyer P

Chris Young has done very well against the Phillies in his career. He threw a CG SHO last year, and the priority tonight has to be putting runs up on the board. The fact is, San Diego's offense stinks. They're last in BA, R, OBP, SLG, and obviously OPS. This can't just be Petco. They cannot hit. If the Phillies score 4 runs, it's unlikely San Diego can manage to beat them.

Tonight is Jamie Moyer bobblehead tonight. The dude isn't a good pitcher anymore, but it's great that the Phillies have an appreciation night to him. Being a local guy, it's great that the team recognizes how much he means to them and the community.