The Braves start their last road trip of the first half in Philadelphia. The Phillies are five games behind the Braves in the NL East, a role reversal from the last time the two teams played in Philadelphia when the Braves were six games behind the NL East leading Phils.
Derek Lowe faces Roy Halladay tonight, with each pitcher going for their 10th win -- who would have thought that Derek Lowe would have as many wins as Roy Halladay at any point in the season? Here is what Talking Chop has to say about the matchup:
While Lowe has seen his ERA decrease in each month of the season, Halladay has seen his increase. Despite giving up more runs in June than any other month, the Phillies' ace was still able to strike out 42 batters and walk just five in 44 innings pitched. Halladay currently has a 21.6 pRAA, good for third in the National League behind only Adam Wainwright and Josh Johnson. In contrast, Lowe's pRAA sits at -2.5. But, in 17 games vs. the Phillies in his career, Lowe has pitched rather well. Against the Phillies, Lowe has a 2.67 K/BB ratio, a 3.26 ERA, and has limited the Phillies to a .662 OPS against. Still, the pitching matchup obviously favors the Phillies. However, with an injured lineup, the Braves can definitely win this game.
Read the rest of Talking Chop's series preview here.