Wolf To Face Former Club

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Milwaukee Brewers (62-73) at Philadelphia Phillies (78-58)

Randy Wolf (10-10, 4.76) vs. Kyle Kendrick (9-7, 4.72)

In Saturday's 5-4 victory, Roy Halladay surrendered four homers, but the Phillies offense rallied, en route to their fifth straight win. The Phillies become a scary team in September, and they're just a game back in the National League East.

Former Phillie Randy Wolf will take the mound for the Brew Crew, but don't expect a Wolf Pack reunion. This is Wolf's second appearance at Citizens Bank Park in an away jersey. Phillies fans know what Wolf brings to the table. Sometimes he can be on his "A" game; other times he can get rocked. That sounds very familiar to Wolf's counterpart, Kyle Kendrick.

The offense is starting to pick it up, especially Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard. Howard is always a scary hitter late in the season, thus taking the name Mr. September. Howard does not have good career numbers against Wolf, but the Phillies need Howard to continue to have his September push.

Phillies Sweep the Padres

As seen on Phillies Nation.

One series can make a big difference. It was just a few days ago when the lowly Houston Astros swept the Phillies in four games. Three games later, the Phillies completed a sweep of their own against the first-place San Diego Padres. This series came down to the pitching, but the Phillies managed to score five runs for Cole Hamels in today’s 5-0 victory.

The Padres entered today’s game as one of the best fielding teams in baseball. After today’s game, that is hard to believe. The Friars committed four fielding errors. The Phillies took advantage of the mistakes, and tacked on five runs.

The first run came on an RBI single from Jimmy Rollins, but the big blow came off the bat of Mike Sweeney. Sweeney played in replace of Ryan Howard, who had a scheduled off day. In the seventh inning, Sweeney ripped a liner over the right field wall for a two-run shot. It was Sweeney’s first home run as a Phillie, and his first in three months. Later on, Jayson Werth added an insurance run, smashing a home run of his own.

One run was all Cole Hamels needed. Receiving run support was a new thing for him, as he picked up the victory. Hamels shut down the Padres over eight innings, surrendering only four hits. It was surprising that Hamels finished the day without walking a batter, because he had a high pitch count and often fell deep into counts. Hamels struck out six.

If the Phillies ever needed a sweep, it was this one. With the Braves rallying for a win, this game became more and more important. This sweep could add new life to the Phillies, especially after that horrific series with Houston.

Phillies Seek to Sweep Friars

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Philadelphia Phillies (72-57) at San Diego Padres (76-52)
Cole Hamels (7-10, 3.47 ERA) vs. Clayton Richard (12-5, 3.55 ERA)

The Phillies have rebounded quickly after being swept by the lowly Houston Astros. Now, the Phillies are on the verge of sweeping the first place San Diego Padres. This series has been about pitching, as both teams haven't gathered too many runs. That's usually how PETCO plays out anyway.

Cole Hamels, a San Diego native, always has success when facing the Friars. Hamels has a 3.18 ERA against the Padres in his career, but a more impressive 2.18 ERA at PETCO Park. Hamels keeps improving as the season progresses, however the problem seems to be run support. The lack of run support for Hamels is getting extremely tiring. Hopefully that changes today.

Overall, Clayton Richard has solid numbers for the season. His repitoire includes a two-seam fastball, a slurve, and a changeup. He typically keeps the ball down, forcing many ground balls.

Olsen vs. Oswalt: Battle of the O's

Visit Phillies Nation for full gameday.

Washington Nationals (53-70) at Philadelphia Phillies (69-53)
Scott Olsen (3-5, 5.13 RA) vs. Roy Oswalt (8-13, 3.36 ERA)

Kyle Kendrick was rocked and Stephen Strasburg struck out six in the Nationals' 8-1 victory last night. The series is split at a game apiece, but this is a series that the Phillies need to win. Taking advantage of a last place team certainly helps in the standings. The Phillies have a good chance with Roy Oswalt on the mound.

Oswalt would like another chance against Washington. His first start as a Phillie was at Nationals Park, and he did not make the Phillies debut that he would have liked.

When he was a Marlin, Scott Olsen said that he "hates the Phillies." He must dispise facing them, since he has a 5.56 earned run average against them. Olsen has missed some time due to injuries this year, but he has really struggled in the month of August, posting an ERA near 11 in three starts.

The Nationals have not won back-to-back games at Citizens Bank Park since 2005. The Phillies would like to keep it that way, and boost their playoff chances.

Today's lineup:Rollins (SS), Ibanez (LF), Polanco (3B), Howard (1B), Werth (RF), Victorino (CF), Ruiz (C), Valdez (2B), Oswalt (P). Just a scheduled off day for Utley.

Strasburg Makes First Start vs. Phillies

Visit Phillies Nation for full gameday.

Washington Nationals (52-70) at Philadelphia Phillies (69-52)
Stephen Strasburg (5-2, 2.97 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (8-5, 4.45 ERA)

Roy Halladay hasn't received a whole lot of run support this year. The Phillies scored one run yesterday, but Halladay took care of the rest, blanking the Nationals over seven innings. When Halladay is on the mound, there is a good feeling that the Phillies win. On the other hand, when Kyle Kendrick pitches, it's always uncertain as to what type of performance he will have.

The Nationals will send out their young stud, Stephen Strasburg. If you haven't heard of this guy, you probably haven't paid any attention to baseball. The 22-year old was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, and his game can't get any more hyped. Strasburg throws a 100 mph fastball regularly, featuring a changeup at around 90 mph. You read that right: a 90 mph changeup. Regardless, his stuff is electric.

Tonight will be the very first time the Phillies will face Strasburg, but there will be many more meetings between the two. So far, Strasburg has made two starts since returning from the disabled list with a shoulder injury. The rookie has been under the spotlight in each and every one of his starts, but so far as yet to disappoint. He's the real deal.

Maybe Ryan Howard can greet Strasburg with a long ball. Howard returns from the disabled list tonight, which is earlier than what was originally expected.

Nationals Are Improved, But Phillies Should Still Win

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Washington Nationals (52-69) at Philadelphia Phillies (68-52)
Jason Marquis (0-5, 14.33 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (15-8, 2.24 ERA)

On paper, this is a series that the Phillies should win. After all, they are playing a last place team. The Phillies lead the Wild Card and trail the division by 2.5 games, but the Nationals aren't exactly playing for nothing. Yes, they are in last place, but compared to last year they have greatly improved. Who knows, after inking Bryce Harper to a multi-million dollar deal and having Stephen Strasburg at the top of the rotation, the Nationals could be a few years away from contending. But right now they are still bad. Not quite terrible, but still fairly bad. They are seven wins shy of matching last year's win total, and it's only the middle of August. They want to finish the year strong, and are now in spoiler mode.

Roy Halladay starts for the Phillies, and it's pretty well know what he can do on the hill. He is 6-1 with a 2.43 earned run average in his career against Washington. Halladay's opposition is Jason Marquis, who spent most of the season on the disabled list. He has struggled since returning. It doesn't help that he has a 5.51 ERA in his career against the Phillies.

Phillies Aim To Sweep Giants

Visit Phillies Nation for the full gameday.

San Francisco Giants (67-54) at Philadelphia Phillies (68-51)
Jonathan Sanchez (8-8 3.60 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-9, 3.33 ERA)

Two days ago, the Philadelphia Phillies trailed the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card. Now, the Phillies are on the verge of sweeping them.

Too many times, Cole Hamels has fell a victim of lack of run support. Hamels is coming off an outing in which he only allowed one run, however the Phillies only managed one hit off R.A Dickey. It has been a reoccurring theme for Hamels. The Giants have a tremendous pitching staff, and have another solid starter today, but the Phillies have been tacking on runs throughout this series. Hamels hopes to get more run support so he can get a win for a change. He is in the midst of a hot streak, posting a 1.82 earned run average in his last five starts.

Sanchez has had a decent year for the Giants. Recently, he has had some trouble making it through six innings, but he still has good numbers for the year. He is a strikeout pitcher, but occasionally can get wild.