Phillies Diamondbacks Preview

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz tags out Arizona Shortstop Stephen Drew.

Preview: A tale of two different teams will collide tonight as the Philadelphia Phillies will be taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game series at Chase Field. The faltering Diamondbacks were swept by the lowly New York Mets, and if that's not bad enough, they have the worst team ERA in all of baseball at 6.75. On the opposite side of the looking glass, the Phillies have been streaking, winning five games in a row while outscoring opponents 16-6, holding batters to a 0.96 ERA. Phillies hero Cliff Lee (2-1 3.91 ERA) will be taking the mound tonight against former New York Yankee Ian Kennedy (2-1 5.64) ERA, Arizona's ace. This will be Lee's first appearance at Chase Field, however, Lee is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA against Arizona in his time with Philadelphia from 2009. Kennedy was sharp in his last outing as well, giving up one run and four hits, while going 5.1 innings, overcoming an injured ankle. Against Philadelphia, Kennedy is 0-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 4 strikeouts. The second game will feature RHP Roy Oswalt (3-0 1.88 ERA) against RHP Daniel Hudson (2-1 5.64 ERA), who was acquired from the White Sox in last summer's Edwin Jackson trade. Oswalt pitched brilliantly in his last start, allowing one hit and striking out six while silencing those who worried about his back issues. Hudson, on the other hand, had a very bipolar outing in Cincinnati, giving up four earned runs in the first inning, also walking three. Following the first, he managed to retire twelve straight, so it'll be interesting nonetheless to see how Hudson responds in this game. In what could be the rubber game of the series, 'King' Cole Hamels (2-1 2.92 ERA) gets the nod, facing former Los Angeles Angel Joe Saunders (0-2 4.98 ERA). Hamels put the team on his back in his start against San Diego, throwing 126 pitches in eight innings, saving the overtaxed bullpen. His opposing starter, Joe Saunders, who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade last summer, had a no decision versus the New York Mets in his last outing, only giving up two hits. A bullpen implosion led to Saunders no decision.

Chase Field.

Who's Hot and Who's Not: Look for Arizona SS Stephen Drew and Phillies CF Shane Victorino to continue their hot streak, as Drew hit .391 with 5 RBIs on Arizona's recent roadtrip, while Victorino had an inside-the-park-homerun, is hitting .362 and has 12 RBIs in his last 16 games versus 'Zona. Also be on the lookout for a Chris Young breakout, as he is mired in a 1-21 slump. At his native Chase Field, however, he is hitting .289 with 3 HRs and 10 RBIs.

Time: Game 1: 9:40 PM Cliff Lee vs Ian Kennedy on CSN
Game 2: 9:40 PM Roy Oswalt vs Daniel Hudson on TCN
Game 3: 3:40 PM Cole Hamels vs Joe Saunders on TCN

Prediction: Ultimately, this is a tale of two opposite teams. However, with Contreas on the DL for an extended period of time and little depth in the Phillies bullpen, it wouldn't shock me in the D'backs manage to take one out of three in this upcoming series. If the Phillies line-up starts to gel, then this team is unstoppable with their starters currently firing on all cylinders. I'm saying the Phillies win the series, 2-1.