The National League West Division leading Giants (59-43) visit Philadelphia for the first time since they knocked the Phillies (64-37) out of the post-season last October, as the two clubs begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday evening.
The Giants and Phillies split six meetings during the regular season last year, however it was San Francisco that defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, in the National League Championship Series. The Giants, of course, went on to defeat the Rangers in the World Series.
Former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will take the hill for the reigning champs. Philadelphia will counter with rookie Vance Worley, who the team has ridden to a 10-2 record in his starts.
Read ahead for some notes on the pitching match ups and some other key stats for this series.
Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA). In his last 6 starts, Lincecum has a 3-2 record with a 1.66 ERA. Lincecum is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 11 road starts this season. Ryan Howard is 6-for-19 (.316 avg) with 2 doubles and 3 HR in the regular season against Lincecum. Worley is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 5 home starts this season. In his last 6 starts, Worley has posted a 4-0 record with a 0.94 ERA.
Wednesday, 7:05 PM. Barry Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA). In 5 career regular season starts against the Phillies, Zito is 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA. Lucky for Zito...injured Phillie Placido Polanco is 12-for-16 (.750 avg) in his career against the lefty Zito. In 12 home starts this year, Hamels has produced a 7-3 record with a 2.29 ERA. Hamels has a 4-1 record with a 1.05 ERA in his last 6 home starts. Right-handed hitting opponents are batting .199 against Hamels this season.
Thursday, 7:05 PM. Matt Cain (8-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (5-4, 3.45 ERA). In his last 4 road starts, Cain is 1-0 with a 2.36 ERA. In 5 career regular season starts against the Phils, Cain has a 0-3 record with a 6.23 ERA. In regular season action, Chase Utley is 7-for-15 (.467 avg) with 3 homeruns against Cain. In 12 home outings this season, Kendrick has a 2-3 record with a 3.21 ERA. Kendrick's .266 batting average against is the best mark of his 5 year career.
Aaron Rowand is a career .355 hitter in 21 career games, including the post-season, against the Phillies.
In 20 games on the road this season, Brian Wilson has a 2-0 record with 16 saves, 3 blown saves and a 3.50 ERA. Wilson is 5-for-5 in save chances since the All-star Break.
Mike Fontenot is a .171 hitter in 18 career regular season games against the Phillies.
Former Phillie Pat Burrell is on the disabled list, as he is suffering with a bone spur in his right foot.
In 32 career regular season games against the Giants, Ryan Howard is a .225 hitter. In 19 July games, Howard has posted a .227 average.
Jimmy Rollins is a .256 career hitter in 57 regular season games against San Francisco with 9 doubles, 10 triples and 8 HR. Last year in 9 games against the Giants, including the post-season, Rollins went 11-for-37 (.297 avg.) with 10 RBI.
In 51 home games this year, Raul Ibanez is batting .292, compared to his .194 average in 44 road games.
Giants team ERA- 3.08
Phillies team ERA- 3.13
You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.
You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.