Los Angeles @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 15, Philadelphia 9
Andre Ethier continues to get under the skin of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder belted consecutive game-winning hits in a June series at Chavez Ravine.
On Tuesday, Ethier went 4-for-4, reached base six times and scored on four occasions as the Dodgers pounded out 18 hits en route to a 15-9 triumph over the Phillies in the opener of a three-game series.
With 12 hits in his last seven games, Ethier is warming up at just the right time for Los Angeles (59-54), which has won five of those contests to move into third place in the National League West. The Dodgers sit seven games back of the division-leading San Diego Padres.
For their part, the Phillies (62-50) fell to 2 1/2 games back of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, who rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia will look to get back on track when it faces Chad Billingsley (9-6, 3.82 ERA), who is looking to secure his fourth consecutive double-digit win season.
The 26-year-old right-hander saw his 25 consecutive scoreless innings streak come an abrupt halt in his last outing. Billingsley permitted three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 5-0 loss to the Padres last Thursday.
Billingsley should keep an eye on both Ross Gload and rookie Domonic Brown. The former belted a pair of two-run homers while the latter added his first career blast and drove in four in Tuesday's loss.
In addition, veteran outfielder Raul Ibanez extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with a single in the ninth inning.
Philadelphia will counter with Roy Oswalt (6-13, 3.50 ERA), who will be making his home debut for his new club.
Acquired from Houston for J.A. Happ and a pair of prospects, Oswalt had pitched well for the Astros at Citizens Bank Park, posting a 4-0 mark with a tidy 2.60 ERA in four starts at the hitter-friendly confines.
During his short stint with the Phillies thus far, Oswalt redeemed himself after a shaky debut with a solid start last Thursday. The veteran right-hander received a no-decision after permitting just two runs and three hits in six innings against the Florida Marlins.
Oswalt will need to keep the Dodgers at bay, especially after their hitting spree on Tuesday.
Casey Blake belted a two-run homer and drove in four runs while Ryan Theriot had three hits and scored three times in the onslaught.
Los Angeles will be without shortstop Rafael Furcal, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with lower back pain. The Dodgers made the move immediately after the completion of Tuesday's game.