Crucial Series In Atlanta

The upcoming weekend series against the Atlanta Braves is going to be absolutely critical for the Phillies' slim post season chances.  Heading into Friday night's match-up, the Phillies will be 9.5 games behind the Braves who currently hold one of the two N.L. Wild Card spots. If the Phillies manage to put together another sweep, they could be 6.5 games out of a playoff spot by the end of the weekend.  

On Friday night, newly extended pitcher Cole Hamels will take on Ben Sheets.  Back on May 1st, Cole tossed 6 innings and allowed just 2 runs in a 4-2 Phillies victory.  Hopefully Hamels will be extra motivated after his extension and ready to prove that he is worth the money.  

Joe Blanton will take to the mound on Saturday night and will be opposed by Mike Minor.  Blanton faced the Braves as recently as July 7th when he allowed 5 runs in just 6.1 innings of work.  Hopefully Blanton can revert to his May 3rd form in which he pitched a complete game shutout against the Braves.

Roy Halladay will take on Tim Hudson in the series finale Sunday afternoon.  Halladay is coming off a rough outing in which he allowed 6 runs against the Brewers.  Back on May 2nd, Halladay got clobbered by the Braves allowing 8 runs in 5.1 innings of work.  The Phillies will certainly need a solid outing from Doc.  

Overall this series will be crucial and the Phillies simply can't afford to drop 2 out of 3 or get swept.  They can't fall any more games behind especially as we get into the month of August and closer to the end of the season.  

Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro will certainly have a lot of decisions to make in the upcoming days.  Right now the Phillies are riding a 4 game winning streak, and they seem to really be picking it up and playing at a high level.  Since returning from the All-Star break, the Phillies are 8-4.  When you factor in the Phillies' hot play along with the fact that Hamels has been extended, I think the Phillies would be foolish to sell away guys like Victorino and Blanton.  

One player who could be traded is Hunter Pence.  Pence will be heading into his final year of arbitration this off season and could earn anywhere from 11 to 14 million.  Pence is simply not worth that money and the Phillies can't afford such a big contract come next year.  If Pence is not moved within the next few days, expect him to be moved during the off season.  

Overall this weekend should be exciting not only to see how the Phillies do against the Braves, but also to see if Ruben Amaro elects to make any trades.