Philadelphia @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 11, 2010 ) Philadelphia 2, Boston 12
The Boston Red Sox saw their offense get untracked on Friday night.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been waiting for over three weeks for their offense to do the same.
While the Red Sox (36-27) belted a season-high eight doubles and finished with 17 hits in their 12-2 victory, the Phillies (31-28) mustered a pair of runs off groundouts.
David Ortiz had a pair of RBI doubles and a two-run single and Mike Lowell blasted a two-run homer to cap a five-run first inning for Boston.
Victor Martinez had a pair of RBI doubles, Adrian Beltre and Dustin Pedroia also had a run-scoring double and Marco Scutaro had an RBI single as the Red Sox snapped a two-game losing streak.
That's a complete team effort, something the Phillies have been missing since May 22.
Jamie Moyer (6-6) was throttled in Friday's encounter. The 47-year-old left-hander allowed nine runs and nine hits in just one inning to take the loss.
On Saturday, the Phillies will try to rebound from their worst loss of the season when they face Daisuke Matsuzaka (5-2, 4.59 ERA) and the Red Sox in the second of a three-game interleague series.
The Japanese hurler arguably provided the start of their troubles when he flirted with a no-hitter. Matsuzaka settled for a one-hit, eight-inning gem in their last meeting on May 22.
He also feels at home at Fenway, posting a 3-1 mark with a 4.56 ERA.
As a result of that May 22 loss, the Phillies have limped to a 5-13 mark with a rail-thin 2.3-run average - down from a 5.5-run average.
Philadelphia will look to avoid its 16th loss in 23 games when it counters with struggling right-hander Joe Blanton (1-4, 6.07 ERA). The 29-year-old Tennessee native started slowly last year before winning 10 of his last 15 decisions to finish the season.
This year, Blanton has allowed at least five runs in four of his last five starts. In his last three, the burly hurler is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA.
The Phillies will need some hits if they are going to turn this thing around. Jayson Werth was mired in a 3-for-41 slump before recording three hits on Friday.
Former Philadelphia manager Terry Francona is looking to claim his seventh consecutive series against the Phillies since taking over as manager of the Red Sox in 2004. Overall, Boston owns a 17-5 advantage against the Philadelphia during that stretch.