Phillies Preview: August 26, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies (72-51) at Pittsburgh Pirates (52-71)
7:05pm - PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Cole Hamels, LHP (7-8, 4.78) v. Paul Maholm, LHP (7-7, 4.74)

For the past several months, Cole Hamels has just looked lost on the mound. He will face off with a similar pitcher with similar stats, in Paul Maholm. While Maholm started the season strong and faded, Hamels has never really looked comfortable. The pair of southpaws will look to improve their luck, though the task will clearly be harder for Maholm. Nevertheless, this is a trap game for the Phillies, as they face a lefty, with their struggling ace on the mound. Coming off of a tough loss last night, the Phillies need to show the resilience they have had all season.

Cole Hamels will look to even up his record and get back on track tonight against a pesky Pirates lineup. In his career, Hamels has allowed a .243 average with three home runs against current Pirates hitters. This will be his first appearance at PNC Park and despite the fact that the field is big, it plays to the hitters, especially lefties. This will play in Hamels' favor, as he has been much more effective against lefties (.217) than against righties (.308) in 2009. As with last night, the key will be last night's star, Andrew McCutchen. If Hamels can keep McCutchen off the base paths, he will have a much better opportunity at success.

Hamels will be opposed by Paul Maholm, who has had an up and down season. Early on, Maholm was one of the best pitchers in the league, going 3-0 with a 2.02 ERA in his first four starts. Since that time, he has been very inconsistent, showing moments of brilliance and stretches of ineffectiveness. Maholm will need to have his best stuff tonight, as he takes on a Phillies team that is hitting .262 against him in 92 career plate appearances. He may be just what the Phillies need, though, to cure their clutch hitting problems, as he has surrendered a .310 batting average this season with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Last night, the Pirates showed that they are a dangerous team that wanted to win more. Tonight, the Phillies need to step up their intensity behind Cole Hamels and provide him with some run support early. If they can do that, then they could get the lefty Maholm out of the game early. Despite their large lead in the NL East, the Phillies cannot afford to drop multiple games to a poor team, so tonight's match up is crucial.