Atlanta @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( May 15, 2011 ) Philadelphia 2, Atlanta 3

THE STORY: The Philadelphia Phillies’ vaunted starting pitching rotation has been as good as advertised. Well, the healthy members, anyway. The trio of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels has combined for 30 wins as the Phillies have raced out to the best record in baseball. For all the pomp and circumstance, however, their lead in the National League East is merely 2 1/2 games as the Atlanta Braves are quietly nipping at their heels. Winners of nine of their last 10, the Braves will test their mettle against reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Halladay on Friday in the opener of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SPSO (Atlanta), CSN (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Brandon Beachy (3-1, 3.23 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Roy Halladay (11-3, 2.44 ERA).

After striking out 20 in a pair of interleague victories, Beachy settled for a no-decision after permitting three runs and seven hits in five innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. The rookie has struggled against the Phillies, posting an 0-3 mark. On May 13, Beachy yielded three runs and six hits in just two innings before exiting the contest with a strained left oblique.

Halladay has won six in a row since suffering a 3-2 loss to the Braves on May 15. In his return to the Rogers Centre on Saturday, Halladay posted his second straight complete game and 64th of his career with a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He yielded three runs and eight hits in the outing. Halladay is 4-1 in his career against the Braves.

ABOUT THE BRAVES (53-36): While Philadelphia has its aces set for this series, Atlanta will be without Jair Jurrjens (12-3) and Tim Hudson (8-6). The pair pitched the final two contests of a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Tommy Hanson (10-4) and Derek Lowe (5-6) will get the call on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Rookie Freddie Freeman belted his fourth homer in as many games to highlight a five-run third inning on Thursday. The 21-year-old Freeman has fared well in a short sample size against Halladay, going 2-for-4 with a homer this season. After capping a 6-1 homestand, the Braves will hit the road – where they have put together an impressive 25-18 mark.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (55-33): While Atlanta has fared well on the road, Philadelphia has given its cheesesteak-loving crowd plenty of thrills as well. The Phillies are 32-14 at Citizens Bank Park this season. Chase Utley is batting .333 during his current 10-game hitting streak. The five-time All-Star is just 1-for-6 against Beachy. Outfielder Shane Victorino, who is nursing a Grade 1 sprain of his right thumb, won the "Final Vote" to be included in the All-Star Game for the second straight year. Victorino is questionable to participate in this series. All-Star third baseman Placido Polanco has missed two straight contests with a balky back, but is expected to see some action against the Braves.

FINAL PITCH: "We don’t look ahead and don’t look back. You can have a 10-game lead right now, and that doesn’t mean you’re going to go to the playoffs. We haven’t won nothing. We’ve been winning some games and we have a good record, but the Braves are right there with us. We ain’t done nothing yet, really." – Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.