Ailing Burnett Takes the Mound as Phillies Look to Avoid Sweep

The Phillies and Braves take the field for a matinee today at 1:05 PM. The Braves have taken the first two games of this series, so the Phillies will look to avoid getting swept for the second time in this young season. Game one saw a dramatic comeback turn into a shocking heartbreak. Game two saw a pitching duel that slightly favored Atlanta. What will today's game bring? Let's take a look at the matchup.

AJ Burnett (0-1, 3.94) takes the mound after some thought he may miss a start. He left his last outing early with groin pain and it ended up being an inguinal hernia. Phillies training staff said that he could pitch through it so Burnett decided to delay surgery and try and throw through the pain, which he says is "manageable". After a solid outing to start the season against Texas, Burnett has lost some of his control, walking 12 batters over his last two starts. He gave up six walks in 4 1/3 innings when he exited with pain due to his hernia. 

He will be opposed by left-hander Alex Wood (2-1, 1.89). In seven games against the Phillies last year, two being starts, Wood had a 1-0 record with a 3.86 ERA. His most recent start was against the Nationals on April 12th. He went five innings and gave up one run on six hits while striking out eight and getting the win. 

Game Notes:

• Burnett is 0-3 vs. the Braves with a 6.48 ERA over the last three seasons.
  
• Chase Utley enters today's game batting .449, good for second in the majors.
• Lefties are hitting .083 against Alex Wood this season in 12 at-bats.
• In two of his three starts, Wood has given up a homer to the first batter he has faced.
• Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz get the day off today. 
• Evan Gattis, who is hitting .667 with three homers and four RBI this series, is out of the lineup today.

Lineups:

Phillies Lineup

1. Ben Revere CF
2. Jimmy Rollins SS
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Marlon Byrd RF
5. John Mayberry Jr. 1B
6. Domonic Brown LF
7. Wil Nieves C
8. Jayson Nix 3B
9. A.J. Burnett P

Braves Lineup:

1. Jason Heyward RF
2. B.J. Upton CF
3. Freddie Freeman 1B
4. Justin Upton LF
5. Chris Johnson 3B
6. Dan Uggla 2B
7. Andrelton Simmons SS
8. Gerald Laird C
9. Alex Wood P

First Pitch: 1:05 PM ET

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa

Weather: Mostly Sunny 52^oF, Wind: ENE 13 mph 

TV: CSN, MLB Network

Radio: 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP

Brandon Apter is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock