Phillies host Cubs in key NL series
Phillies host Cubs in key NL series
The hottest teams going collide in Philadelphia as the Phillies host the Cubs in a three-game set. Ted Lilly and Chicago look to extend their four-game win streak on Monday and snap the Phils' eight-game ride.
Hall and Oates. Simon and Garfunkel. Phillies and Cubs.
Second banana is a tough gig. Your talents are always being compared to the guy in the spotlight, and it’s usually an unfair comparison. The Chicago Cubs (47-43, minus-5.31 units) are a good team coming off a four-game sweep of the Nationals in Washington. And then you have the World Champion Phillies (51-58, plus-6.78 units) riding an eight-game win streak as they prepare to host the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park.
That’s a recipe for value if you’re a Cubs supporter. This is a team that has just welcomed 3B Aramis Ramirez (.856 OPS) and OF Reed Johnson (.745 OPS) back into the lineup after extended injury layoffs. Both had their moments this week as the Cubs outscored the Nationals by a combined score of 26-11. That’s a timely dose of offense for a team that still ranks 21st in the majors at 4.23 runs per game.
There are still some negatives to deal with in the batting order, though. Catcher Geovany Soto (.732 OPS) was already having an underwhelming season; now he’s out with a strained left oblique, and Koyie Hill (career .562 OPS) is his replacement. And enigmatic OF Alfonso Soriano (.737 OPS) is playing with a jammed finger – although it didn’t stop him from going deep against the Nats on both Saturday and Sunday.
Yes, President Obama might be the best pitcher in Washington. But Philadelphia’s arms aren’t that much better, No. 25 overall with a 4.55 team ERA. Most of the blame goes to the rotation; the bullpen is in the middle of the pack at No. 17 overall (3.92 ERA), while nominal 1-2 starters Cole Hamels (4.72 ERA, 3.52 xFIP) and Jamie Moyer (5.58 ERA, 5.00 xFIP) are having some issues on the mound. There’s no shortage of rumor and conjecture about the Phillies trading for Toronto’s Roy Halladay. They’ve already gone out and signed Pedro Martinez to a contract, so change is coming.
Eventually. Meanwhile, the Phillies are hitting the snot out of the ball. They’re fourth in the majors at 5.34 runs per game and third with a team OPS of .794. Leading the way is none other than Raul Ibanez, who is certainly making up for what he lacks defensively with a mind-blowing 1.045 OPS. He’s one of four players on the Phillies already with at least 20 home runs on the season:
We can’t blame the Bank for this one. This has only been a slight hitter’s park since opening in 2004; it currently sits in 15th place in park factor for runs allowed at 1.011, the same place as last year. The Phillies have hit 62 home runs in 45 games at home, and 64 homers in 43 away games. That’s part of the magic behind Philly’s 26-17-2 record for the under at home compared to 18-22-4 on the road.
The Phillies are also 22-23 (minus-10.29 units) at the Bank and 29-15 (plus-17.07 units) elsewhere. So the Cubs have ‘em right where they want ‘em. And they don’t have to worry about facing Hamels in this series. Here are the expected matchups:
Game 1: Ted Lilly vs. Rodrigo Lopez
Monday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
The early betting odds had the Phillies as slim -115 faves with a total of 9.5 runs. Lopez is making his third start of the year since getting called up from AAA-Lehigh Valley; the first two were wins for the Phillies. Lilly (12-6 team record, plus-5.04 units) had his start pushed from Saturday because of inflammation in his left knee.
Game 2: Rich Harden vs. Joe Blanton
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, WGN
Something is not right with Harden (8-7, minus-2.61 units). Although he blanked the Nats over six innings of work, that’s just his second quality start in six appearances. Blanton (9-8, minus-0.07 units) has the under at 9-5-3.
Game 3: Carlos Zambrano vs. Jamie Moyer
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, WGN
Moyer (11-7, plus-4.53 units) gets a lot of elbowroom thanks to all that run support. Zambrano (11-6, plus-4.17 units) has only gotten 3.94 runs per game out of the Cubs, but that’s enough more often that not with his 3.36 ERA (4.49 xFIP).
The hottest teams going collide in Philadelphia as the Phillies host the Cubs in a three-game set. Ted Lilly and Chicago look to extend their four-game win streak on Monday and snap the Phils' eight-game ride.
Hall and Oates. Simon and Garfunkel. Phillies and Cubs.
Second banana is a tough gig. Your talents are always being compared to the guy in the spotlight, and it’s usually an unfair comparison. The Chicago Cubs (47-43, minus-5.31 units) are a good team coming off a four-game sweep of the Nationals in Washington. And then you have the World Champion Phillies (51-58, plus-6.78 units) riding an eight-game win streak as they prepare to host the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park.
That’s a recipe for value if you’re a Cubs supporter. This is a team that has just welcomed 3B Aramis Ramirez (.856 OPS) and OF Reed Johnson (.745 OPS) back into the lineup after extended injury layoffs. Both had their moments this week as the Cubs outscored the Nationals by a combined score of 26-11. That’s a timely dose of offense for a team that still ranks 21st in the majors at 4.23 runs per game.
There are still some negatives to deal with in the batting order, though. Catcher Geovany Soto (.732 OPS) was already having an underwhelming season; now he’s out with a strained left oblique, and Koyie Hill (career .562 OPS) is his replacement. And enigmatic OF Alfonso Soriano (.737 OPS) is playing with a jammed finger – although it didn’t stop him from going deep against the Nats on both Saturday and Sunday.
Yes, President Obama might be the best pitcher in Washington. But Philadelphia’s arms aren’t that much better, No. 25 overall with a 4.55 team ERA. Most of the blame goes to the rotation; the bullpen is in the middle of the pack at No. 17 overall (3.92 ERA), while nominal 1-2 starters Cole Hamels (4.72 ERA, 3.52 xFIP) and Jamie Moyer (5.58 ERA, 5.00 xFIP) are having some issues on the mound. There’s no shortage of rumor and conjecture about the Phillies trading for Toronto’s Roy Halladay. They’ve already gone out and signed Pedro Martinez to a contract, so change is coming.
Eventually. Meanwhile, the Phillies are hitting the snot out of the ball. They’re fourth in the majors at 5.34 runs per game and third with a team OPS of .794. Leading the way is none other than Raul Ibanez, who is certainly making up for what he lacks defensively with a mind-blowing 1.045 OPS. He’s one of four players on the Phillies already with at least 20 home runs on the season:
- Raul Ibañez 24 HR
- Ryan Howard 23
- Chase Utley 21
- Jayson Werth 20
We can’t blame the Bank for this one. This has only been a slight hitter’s park since opening in 2004; it currently sits in 15th place in park factor for runs allowed at 1.011, the same place as last year. The Phillies have hit 62 home runs in 45 games at home, and 64 homers in 43 away games. That’s part of the magic behind Philly’s 26-17-2 record for the under at home compared to 18-22-4 on the road.
The Phillies are also 22-23 (minus-10.29 units) at the Bank and 29-15 (plus-17.07 units) elsewhere. So the Cubs have ‘em right where they want ‘em. And they don’t have to worry about facing Hamels in this series. Here are the expected matchups:
Game 1: Ted Lilly vs. Rodrigo Lopez
Monday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
The early betting odds had the Phillies as slim -115 faves with a total of 9.5 runs. Lopez is making his third start of the year since getting called up from AAA-Lehigh Valley; the first two were wins for the Phillies. Lilly (12-6 team record, plus-5.04 units) had his start pushed from Saturday because of inflammation in his left knee.
Game 2: Rich Harden vs. Joe Blanton
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, WGN
Something is not right with Harden (8-7, minus-2.61 units). Although he blanked the Nats over six innings of work, that’s just his second quality start in six appearances. Blanton (9-8, minus-0.07 units) has the under at 9-5-3.
Game 3: Carlos Zambrano vs. Jamie Moyer
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. Eastern, WGN
Moyer (11-7, plus-4.53 units) gets a lot of elbowroom thanks to all that run support. Zambrano (11-6, plus-4.17 units) has only gotten 3.94 runs per game out of the Cubs, but that’s enough more often that not with his 3.36 ERA (4.49 xFIP).
