Hamels takes hill in series opener against Cardinals

Kevin Durso

April 27 2015

After a week playing in the comforts of home, the Phillies (7-12) close out April and ring in May with a 10-game road trip that begins on Monday.

Searching for his first win will be Phillies ace Cole Hamels, who could also be auditioning as the Phillies opponent, the St. Louis Cardinals (12-5), look to fill a hole with injury to ace Adam Wainwright. The first pitch of the series opener is set for 8:15 p.m.

Starting Pitching Matchup

St. Louis Cardinals (12-5)			Philadelphia Phillies (7-12)
RHP	John Lackey	(1-0, 4.34 ERA)	LHP	Cole Hamels	(0-2, 3.75 ERA)

Once again, Hamels' bid for his first win of the season fell short as one unearned run allowed in his last start produced a no-decision. He allowed five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings. In 11 career starts against the Cardinals, Hamels is 2-4 with a 3.25 ERA. Hamels is 1-2 with a 2.88 ERA in six career starts at Busch Stadium.

John Lackey's three starts have been very different. He allowed four runs in six innings in his first start, earned a win in his second with seven shutout innings and in his third, managed a no-decision after allowing five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings to Washington. In five career starts against the Phillies, Lackey is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA.

Starting Lineups

St. Louis Cardinals (12-5)			Philadelphia Phillies (7-12)
	Position/Bats	Player		Position/Bats	Player
1	3B/L	Matt Carpenter	1	LF/L	Ben Revere
2	SS/R	Jhonny Peralta	2	CF/L	Odubel Herrera
3	LF/R	Matt Holliday	3	2B/L	Chase Utley
4	1B/L	Matt Adams	4	RF/R	Jeff Francoeur
5	RF/R	Mark Reynolds	5	1B/L	Ryan Howard
6	C/R	Yadier Molina	6	3B/L	Cody Asche
7	2B/L	Kolten Wong	7	C/R	Carlos Ruiz
8	CF/L	Jon Jay	8	SS/S	Freddy Galvis
9	P/R	John Lackey	9	P/L	Cole Hamels

The same lineup that led the Phillies to a win on Sunday returns with the return of Cody Asche and Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz is hitting seventh as he attempts to break out of his struggles. Asche returns to the sixth spot in the order.

The Cardinals roll out a traditional lineup with staples Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, Matt Adams and Matt Carpenter. Kolten Wong and Jon Jay round out a solid lineup backing Lackey.

Game Notes

Phillies vs. Lackey

Grady Sizemore: 4-for-20 (.200), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 7 BB, 3 K
Ryan Howard: 3-for-10, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K
Chase Utley: 2-for-7 (.286), 1 3B, 2 BB

Cardinals vs. Hamels
- Jason Heyward: 7-for-32 (.219), 4 2B, 6 BB, 8 K
- Yadier Molina: 6-for-22 (.273), 3 2B, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
- Matt Holliday: 3-for-12 (.250), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
The Phillies had a 4-3 record against the Cardinals in 2014, including a 2-2 record in St. Louis. The Phillies have won six of their last 10 series against the Cardinals.
Ryan Howard has a .362 batting average and 19 home runs in his career when playing in his hometown of St. Louis.
Jonathan Papelbon is two saves shy of setting the Phillies franchise record, held by Jose Mesa, for career saves. Papelbon has 110 saves since joining the Phillies. Mesa's record is 112 saves.

Gametime: 8:15 p.m.
Weather: 63 degrees, partly cloudy, 0% PoP
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.
TV: CSN
Radio: 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP, SBP 1480 (Spanish)

Kevin Durso is a contributing writer and editorial assistant for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.