In case you missed last night—and honestly, who could possibly give the Phillies their undivided attention during or even after such an amazing hockey game?—the good guys cruised to another victory. Jamie Moyer picked up another W, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez each cleared the fence for the first time in what felt like forever, and the lineup saw surprising production from the back end, getting three hits and four runs combined between Wilson Valdez and Paul Hoover.
Of course they're back at it today, getting the 4:10 start time in Milwaukee. As a result of their scoring nine runs last night, Charlie Manuel is sticking with the same lineup against lefty Chris Narverson. Taking the ball for the Phils is Joe Blanton, making his third start since coming off the DL.
Big Joe got into some trouble the last time he faced the Brewers. He earned his 12th and final win of the 2009 campaign on September 27, but he did not have his best stuff, allowing five earned on seven hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. Mike Cameron took him long for a solo shot, and Mat Gamel had a pinch hit three-run blast, but neither of those guys is on the team anymore, so maybe he'll feel more comfortable today. Some dude named Ryan Braun was also 2 for 3 with a pair of singles off Blanton that day.
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On the mound for the Brewers is this Chris Narverson fellow. The Phils have never faced Narverson before, a 28-year-old lefthander who was a former second round pick by the Cardinals back in 2000. He finally made five appearances for St. Louis in '06, but he would not re -emerge in the show until he did so as a reliever for Milwaukee last season. He has a 4.34 ERA for his career with 81 strikeouts to 34 walks in 81 innings of work. You can never tell how the Fightins will handle a guy they haven't seen, regardless of his level of talent, so it should be interesting.
We get a day to catch our breath before the Flyers attempt to captivate Philadelphia once again, and I can't think of a better way to spend it than a relaxing day on the patio watching' the Fightins. Enjoy the afternoon.