The Phillies Rookie of the Year candidate Jay Happ will take the mound against Tim Redding. Happ will be looking to get the Phils back on the winning track tonight against the Mets. Tim Redding will be making the start for the recently released Livan Hernandez. Redding himself could have easily been released at any point this season, as he hasn't proved to be a Major League-caliber pitcher. Nevertheless, he will take on Happ and the Phillies in the second game of the weekend.
J.A. Happ has not made many appearances against the New York Mets. However, in limited action, he has held current Mets to a .118 average in 39 plate appearances. More importantly, Happ has never surrendered a home run to a current Met on the roster. The lineup should be very similar to the one that faced Cole Hamels last night, so it will be imperative that Happ only goes up stairs with his fastball when he is trying to. If he can accomplish this, he just might become the first rookie pitcher to 10 wins this season in the National League.
On the other side of the coin, the Mets will throw Tim Redding against the Phillies. Redding is very familiar with the Phillies from his time in the NL East. Surprisingly, he has done okay against the Phils, holding current players to a .223 average in 208 plate appearances with five home runs. However, Redding has had a tough year, bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation, and posting a very high 6.53 ERA. He will need to work ahead of the Phillies hitters to have any success at all.
This is an important game for the Phillies. Despite an apparently favorable pitching match up for the Phils, they will need to execute on offense. This means getting runners over and in, early and often. It also means that the team will again turn to Happ as their stopper. If one thing is for sure, though, the Phillies will rebound in this game against their rivals.
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