Series Preview

Posted by Rich Wilkins

  Vance_Worley

Philadelphia Phillies (47-29, NL East-1) vs. Oakland Athletics (34-42, AL West-4)

PITCHING MATCH-UPS:
Vance Worley (2-1, 3.41) vs. Guillermo Moscoso (2-3, 3.30)
Cole Hamels (9-3, 2.51) vs. Trevor Cahill (7-5, 3.24)
Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.51) vs. Josh Outman (3-1, 2.86)
How the opposition rolls in-
Seven strikeouts, no walks, five hits, and no runs. It's hard to pitch better than that.

It was a fantastic performance by Mets starter Chris Capuano, and that's all that the Mets needed for a series win against Oakland. A's starter Graham Godfrey wasn't very sharp, but he pitched decently, considering he's Oakland's 9th starter. He allowed four runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings, while striking out four and walking two. In what's becoming a regular feature, Jemile Weeks reached base twice and stole two bases. Dynamic player, that guy is.

Really, the only non-Jemile excitement from the Oakland dugout was Chris Carter, who was recalled from AAA Sacramento this morning. Considering that he had to fly from Phoenix into New York and be ready for a game that started at 10 AM Pacific, it's understandable that he didn't start today, but he came into the game as part of a double switch in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, in true Carter fashion, he made an error in the field before he could even record a plate appearance, but that's how it goes. I'd guess that Carter will get the bulk of the playing time at 1B while Daric Barton is down in Sacramento.

The A's are in Philadelphia tomorrow, facing one of the greatest names in sports: Vance Worley.
The Outlook:

It's Philadelphia's team vs. Philadelphia's old team, in Philadelphia. Sounds great, except that they left well over a half century ago. It's been so long that I root for them again. I wonder what baseball would be like in Philly with two teams? I think it would go well. Philly is a sports crazed town, an AL team would do well. I digress though. The Phillies come in enjoying a solid enough June for them, but on the heels of the Oswalt news. They face an A's team arriving after a series loss to the Mess up in New York. The Phils won two from St. Louis. Outman, pitching Sunday, was a Phillie farmhand.
The Prediction:
Well, if nothing else, the A's can pitch. No one wants to see Hamels and Halladay pitching against them though.
PHILS 2 OF 3.
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