Houston @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2010 ) Philadelphia 2, Houston 1
Citizens Bank Park will welcome many happy returns on Monday.
On one hand, the Philadelphia Phillies (70-53) will field a starting lineup which is expected to resemble the one that took the field on Opening Day.
With injured superstars now healed and tired ones given a well-deserved rest, manager Charlie Manuel is expected to have all his horses, er Phillies, ready to go for Monday's series opener against the Houston Astros (54-69).
Now, there is another return - in the form of Houston right-hander Brett Myers (8-7, 3.11 ERA), who spent eight seasons in the City of Brotherly Love after the team selected him with the 12th overall pick of the 1999 draft.
The 30-year-old right-hander will be the first of two Astros pitchers who had their fair share of cheesesteaks and will now be facing the Phillies in this four-game series. J.A. Happ, who was a key cog in the Roy Oswalt deal, will also take the hill for Houston on Wednesday.
But let's focus on Myers, who had a hand in helping the Fightin' Phils in their run to the 2008 World Series championship. Now, he calls Houston his home - and will do so for the immediate future after signing a two-year contract extension.
The Astros have liked what they've seen from Myers this season, especially after the hurler has set a franchise record by lasting at least six innings in all 25 starts this season.
In his last outing, Myers permitted two runs and seven hits in as many innings, but did not factor in the decision as the New York Mets recorded a 3-2 victory on Wednesday.
Myers will need to be sharp against Philadelphia, which has won 22 of its last 29 games - and 19 of its last 23 at Citizens Bank Park.
The impressive winning streak has put the Phillies just 2.5 games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (73-51), but two full games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals (67-54) and San Francisco Giants (69-56) in the race for the wild card.
Adding fuel to the fire is Philadelphia is now relatively healthy. Five-time All-Star second baseman Chase Utley and 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard are the latest Phillies to run free from the disabled list.
After outfielder Jayson Werth and Utley received days off on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, against the Washington Nationals, Manuel is expected to scribble the names of all his stars on the lineup card on Monday.
The beneficiary of this may very well be Philadelphia right-hander Joe Blanton (5-6, 5.54 ERA), who is slowly putting the pieces together after an abysmal start to the season.
The 29-year-old Tennessee native yielded just two runs and eight hits while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings in an 8-2 victory over the Giants on Wednesday.
Blanton will face an Astros team which dropped two of three to the Florida Marlins - scoring five runs in the process.