Milwaukee @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2010 ) Milwaukee 0, Philadelphia 1
Just 24 hours and two time zones removed, the Philadelphia Phillies scored 11 runs less than they did on Thursday and still walked out the victors on Friday.
Cole Hamels tossed seven scoreless innings and Shane Victorino scored on a groundout by Carlos Ruiz as the Phillies (77-58) improved to a season-best 19 games over .500 with a 1-0 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Philadelphia managed just four hits to record its seventh win in its last eight contests - but it was a far cry from Thursday's slugfest. The Phillies benefited from a nine-run seventh inning to rally to a 12-11 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Aesthetics aside, three-time reigning NL East champion Philadelphia moved to within one game of the Atlanta Braves (78-57), who dropped a 6-1 setback to the Florida Marlins on Friday.
In addition, the Phillies increased their lead in the race for the wild card to three games after the San Francisco Giants (74-61) were doubled up, 4-2, by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
Roy Halladay (16-10, 2.27 ERA) will look to rebound when he leads Philadelphia into Saturday's contest against Dave Bush (7-11, 4.71 ERA) and Milwaukee at Citizens Bank Park.
Halladay permitted three runs and 10 hits in seven innings in his last start, the Phillies offense was foiled by Hiroki Kuroda and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
The 33-year-old right-hander, who has dropped two straight decisions after winning his previous six outings, will face a struggling Milwaukee team which has scored just nine runs in its last four games.
Corey Hart is one of the chief Brewers who is struggling during that stretch. The All-Star outfielder is 1-for-18 during the team's road trip.
Milwaukee will counter with Bush, who worked seven innings on Sunday for the first time since June 15. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits to record the win in the Brewers' 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bush enjoyed a memorable start in the City of Brotherly Love last season, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning before veteran Matt Stairs belted a two-run shot off the right-field foul pole.
The hurler has allowed 10 home runs in his last four outings - a key fact considering that he'll be pitching in hitter friendly Citizens Bank Park on Saturday.
As for matters off the field, Philadelphia minor league right-hander Alvaro Bacil was suspended 50 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Bacil posted a 2-1 mark with a 2.70 ERA with the Phillies' Dominican summer league team.