The Phillies take on the White Sox again today for the series finale at 1:35. This is easily the biggest game of the year for the Phillies, as it will be their fourth series win in a row. They desperately need this win, and the players know it. With a win, the team will reach the .500 mark heading into the break which is really not all that bad for a team that has seemed much worse than they truly are. This would be a tremendous momentum shifter for the Phil’s and would have them thinking that they can play some good baseball down the stretch.
The Phillies send left hander Cole Hamels to the mound. Hamels currently holds a 4.17 era and only 4 four wins on the season. He has struggled all year long, but in his last start tossed 7 scoreless innings. Hopefully, this is a turning point for Hamels, and he has saved his best pitching for the second half of the season. He should be able to build on his dominant performance against the struggling White Sox offense. The White Sox offense has not been impressive at all, and is a lineup that Hamels can easily contain.
The offense suffered a big loss with Ben Revere breaking his right foot. He was hitting .302 before the injury and was starting to heat up at the plate. Losing Revere certainly hurts, since they will lose his speed and ability to get on base. What this injury means is more playing time for John Mayberry and Darin Ruf. Ruf has been crushing the ball since his recent call-up and has had no problem adjusting to major league pitching. However, if one of these outfielders begins to struggle, the team could look to go shopping for a new outfielder to help out.
Today’s game is a big one and could solidify a really solid stretch for the Phillies right before the break. They have been quietly winning games and creeping up on the wild card teams. Ruben Amaro has expressed confidence in the team when he has been asked about if the team will be sellers at the deadline. He said, “I’ve been telling our (beat writers), it doesn’t make sense right now, we have to contend here, we are expected to contend here. And we still can.” Clearly he still believes in this team, and getting to .500 before the break will only further deepen his belief that the team can contend in the second half.
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