St. Louis @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 23, 2011 ) Philadelphia 2, St. Louis 12
THE STORY: Just over 48 hours after clinching a postseason berth, the Philadelphia Phillies will have the opportunity to lock up their fifth consecutive National League East title. With a magic number of two, the Phillies will look to handle their business Friday when they open a four-game set against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. A Phillies' victory and a loss by the Atlanta Braves - to the rival New York Mets, no less - will effectively end the suspense. St. Louis has won seven of its last eight to trim its deficit in the NL Central to 5 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are also 4 1/2 games behind the Braves for the wild card.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), CS (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (12-7, 3.68 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vance Worley (11-2, 2.92).
Garcia has rebounded from a brutal outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers to win his last two starts. The 25-year-old Mexican permitted three runs on eight hits in six innings, but collected a 4-3 triumph over the Braves in his last start Saturday. Garcia has won two of three career decisions versus the Phillies. He also pitched well May 17, but settled for a no-decision in St. Louis' 2-1 victory over Philadelphia. It was bound to happen at some point. Worley suffered his first loss since May 29 when he yielded three runs on eight hits in a 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Sunday. The 23-year-old rookie saw his personal nine-game winning streak go by the boards, as well as the team's 14-game winning streak in contests he started. Worley has yet to face the Cardinals.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (81-68): Cleanup hitter Matt Holliday will miss the series after suffering a right hand injury while taking practice swings in the on-deck circle. Holliday will likely be replaced in left field by Allen Craig, who is batting .319 in 63 games this season. Craig has struggled against the Phillies, going 2-for-17 with five strikeouts in his career. Yadier Molina's two-run double lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Molina, who has six hits and as many RBIs in his last four contests, went 8-for-17 in the teams' five games this season.
ABOUT THE PHILLIES (97-51): Philadelphia moved to within five wins of setting a single-season franchise record after sweeping a doubleheader from the Florida Marlins on Thursday. The games were being played as a result of Hurricane Irene making her presence felt in late August. Ryan Howard completed the sweep by plating rookie Michael Martinez with an RBI double in the 10th inning. For all his success, Howard has struggled against Garcia - going 2-for-12 in his career with six strikeouts. After slapping a pinch-hit single in the opener, Chase Utley made his first start in a week since being sidelined with a concussion and went 1-for-4 in the nightcap.
FINAL PITCH: "Whatever they need me to do. Obviously with the stars we have here, hopefully they go deep in the playoffs," - Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick, on his role in the postseason. Kendrick (8-6) tossed five solid innings as the Phillies posted a 3-1 win in the opening game of the doubleheader.