Phillies Preview: August 15, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies (65-48) at Atlanta Braves (60-55)

4:00pm - Turner Field, Atlanta, GA

Cole Hamels, LHP (7-7, 4.77) v. Kenshin Kawakami, RHP (5-9, 4.12)

The Phillies pulled out an important win in game one. Now, they will turn to their ace, Cole Hamels, to continue that momentum in their second of three games against the rival Braves. Last night the Phillies used the long ball and solid pitching to aid their victory. They will need more of the same this afternoon if they are to beat Kenshin Kawakami and the Braves again.

Cole Hamels has struggled on the road this season, posting an unimpressive 5.59 ERA in 10 starts. He will look to turn his fortunes around in pitcher-friendly Turned Field today. In his career, Hamels has posted average numbers against current Braves hitters, holding them to a combined .272 batting average in 203 plate appearances. Once again, the key will be to hold down the heart of the Braves order in Brian McCann and Chipper Jones, who have a combined 14 RBIs against Hamels in 54 lifetime plate appearances.

Hamels will be opposed by 34-year old rookie Kenshin Kawakami. Despite his poor record, Kawakami has been relatively effective this season. The soft-tossing righty will face the Phillies for the second time this season, after beating them 4-2 in May. In their careers, Phillies hitters are hitting .227 in 25 plate appearances. The offense will need to be much more effective in order to win tonight's game. Ryan Howard and Matt Stairs each had success against Kawakami with a pair of hits each in their first meeting.

Today the offense will need to produce and cannot rely solely on the homerun. Look for Cole Hamels to bounce back from a series of tough starts and go deep into the game, in the spacious ballpark. If the Phillies are to win this afternoon, they will need an all-around team effort. However, this is one game that the team should win.