The Phillies should be encouraged by the fact that they got a solid pitching performance from Roy Halladay yesterday. After taking two of three against the Marlins they are at .500 but still looking way up at the Braves in the National League East standings.
The offense has been much less impressive as they have are the 4th worst team in the Majors in runs scored so far, a real disappointment given they were supposed to have a revamped lineup and the seeming return to form of OF Carl Crawford.
The forecasted demise of the New York Yankees might have been a little premature. After yesterday’s drubbing of Cleveland they are at .500 and if lefty Andy Pettite continues to turn back the clock they may have something to say all season long.
The Mets have taken advantage of their schedule to get off to a nice start.
They are just behind the Braves in the National League East standings and if they can get another series win in Philadelphia they will really be pleased with themselves.
The Phillies have not gotten off to a good start and are looking to salvage a game in this opening series against division rival Atlanta. Starter Roy Halladay gave a confounding performance yesterday, racking up the strikeouts while giving up the long ball.
Just because these two teams are not currently locked in a battle atop the AL East, doesn’t mean this series will bear any less significance.
Perhaps the most celebrated rivalry in all of sports, the Yankees and the Red Sox will surely put it all on the line every single game, regardless of standings.
The Washington Nationals showed why they are the best team in baseball, erupting for 14 runs on 21 hits against the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
Now the two teams will close out the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park.
These two clubs opened this four-game set on Monday at Yankee Stadium, with Texas holding a half-game lead over New York for best record in the American League
Rangers star Josh Hamilton leads the majors with 32 homers and 99 RBIs, and he will look to help the Rangers’ rediscovered offense reverse the trend of losing in the Big Apple.
The playoff destined Nationals will meet up with an Arizona Diamondbacks team that is fighting to stay in the Western race.
This is a match-up between two teams that have been just awful as of late.
Both sides had playoff aspirations as the year started, but just have not performed well for the bulk of the 2012 campaign. These recent runs have deterred them even further.
After an impressive first half, the Dodgers have been inconsistent since the All-Star break, recording three streaks of three of more losses, and then rattling off three or more wins three different times as well.
The Atlanta Braves will look to get back on the rails following Wednesday’s loss to Miami that snapped their seven-game winning streak
Atlanta had been playing lights out, and it all starts with pitching.
This series sets up pretty nicely for them they take on a Houston Astros club that has lost 15 out of their last 16 games, and have just two wins since the All-Star break.
The Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox meet on Thursday for Game 1 on their three-game series at Fenway Park.
Winners of 4-of-6, Minnesota have been playing well as of late, and while it isn’t going to be their year, they are showing signs that things are moving in the right direction.
Oh, what a difference a year can make. The Philadelphia Phillies arrive in D.C. in unfamiliar territory, as they sit in dead last in the NL East, while the division-leading Washington Nationals -a place the Nats are not all that familiar with either –try to win their 14th victory in the last 18 meetings with Philly.
Two teams that are well out of the hunt, but are seemingly going in two separate directions take the field in this one.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will look to get back in the win column on Thursday night when they take on the New York Mets in game one of a four-game series at Chase Field.
