(Cover photo courtesy of)

Since my last Phillies post a week ago, the team was swept by the Nationals and won only one of three in Cincinnati over the weekend.

Philadelphia Phillies (25-36) vs. San Diego Padres (28-35)

Probables:
Tuesday at 7:05 ET: A.J. Burnett (3-5) vs. Ian Kennedy (5-6)
Wednesday at 7:05 ET: Cole Hamels (2-3) vs. Tyson Ross (6-5)
Thursday at 1:05 ET: Kyle Kendrick (1-6) vs. Andrew Cashner (2-5)

Having lost eight of their last nine games, the Phillies have fallen to 7.5 games out of first place and 30th in ESPN’s Power Rankings. Sitting at a .410 winning percentage, the Phillies are on pace to have their worst season since 2000 when they finished 65-97. The good news is that the team’s next six games are against two other teams at the bottom of the National League: the San Diego Padres over the next three days, and the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

The Padres may have a better record than the Phillies, but San Diego is batting worse than Philadelphia. The Padres are batting .218/.277/.346 with 195 runs and 46 homers compared the Phillies’ statistics: .241/.308/.372 with 236 runs and 51 homers. On flip side, San Diego is pitching better than Philadelphia. The Padres’ staff has a 3.42 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 2.93 K/BB ratio while the Phillies’ has a 4.20 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and a 2.16 K/BB ratio.

Looking at each teams’ three starters, Burnett, Hamels, and Kendrick pitch an average of 6.30 innings and have recorded 20 decisions in 34 starts; Kennedy, Ross, and Cashner pitch an average of 6.22 innings and have recorded 28 decisions in 36 starts. The bullpens will be necessary in this series. The Phils will need to get the San Diego starters early and get to the bullpen, especially considering the 23 quality starts the Kennedy-Ross-Cashner trio has combined for.

Injury Notes: After placing Mike Adams on the DL Sunday, the Phillies called up Ken Giles from the IronPigs. Giles had 1.20 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 15 innings with the Pigs. Cliff Lee was placed back on the 15-Day DL yesterday.