The 133rd season of Philadelphia Phillies baseball will officially get underway this afternoon against 2008 playoff hero, Shane Victorino, and the Boston Red Sox. 62-68-2 overall on Opening Day, the Phillies will look to inch closer to the .500 mark and win their first season opener since 2011, at home against the Houston Astros.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
|
Boston Red Sox (2014: 71-91) |
Philadelphia Phillies (2014: 73-89) |
||||
|
RHP |
Clay Buchholz |
2014: (8-11, 5.34 ERA) |
LHP |
2014: (9-9, 2.46 ERA) |
|
This will be Hamels' second career Opening Day start, and perhaps his last in red pinstripes as his name continues to be involved in significant trade conversation around the league. The 2008 World Series MVP opened the 2013 season in Georgia against Tim Hudson and the Atlanta Braves, where he received the losing decision in the team's 7-5 defeat. He lasted just five innings and allowed five earned runs on seven hits and one walk.
In five career starts against the Red Sox, Hamels is 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.906 WHIP. Red Sox' starting left fielder Hanley Ramirez has struck out in nearly a quarter (24.24%) of his career at-bats against the Phillies' southpaw (16 out of 66). Ramirez does have 18 hits against the three-time All-Star, however, 11 of them being doubles and two home runs.
| Year | W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | BF | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | 2.57 | 1 | 1 | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 1.286 | 6.4 | 2.50 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 1.29 | 2 | 2 | 14.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 52 | 0.786 | 10.3 | 5.33 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.500 | 4.5 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 | 1 | 1 | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 1.000 | 11.6 | 9.00 |
| Career Total | 4 | 0 | 1.97 | 5 | 5 | 32.0 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 123 | 0.906 | 9.0 | 5.33 |
With former ace of the Red Sox, Jon Lester, now a member of the Chicago Cubs, the opportunity has finally come for two-time All-Star Clay Buchholz to get the his first career Opening Day nod. Today will be the first time a Boston starter not named Lester or Josh Beckett will open the season since 2008 when Daisuke Matsuzaka opposed Joe Blanton and the Oakland Athletics in a 6-5 Red Sox victory.
Buchholz has never faced the Phillies as a team, however infielder Andres Blanco, and outfielders Jeff Francoeur and Ben Revere have had prior at-bats against the right-hander. Blanco and Francoeur each have a hit and run-batted-in in eight combined at-bats, while Revere has three hits out of six plate appearances, one of them being a double.
Starting Lineups:
|
Boston Red Sox (2014: 71-91) |
Philadelphia Phillies (2014: 73-89) |
||||
|
|
Position/Bats |
Player |
|
Position/Bats |
Player |
|
1 |
8/R |
1 |
7/L |
||
|
2 |
4/R |
2 |
8/L |
||
|
3 |
3/L |
3 |
4/L |
||
|
4 |
7/R |
4 |
3/L |
||
|
5 |
5/S |
5 |
2/R |
||
|
6 |
9/R |
6 |
9/L |
||
|
7 |
6/R |
7 |
5/L |
||
|
8 |
2/R |
8 |
6/S |
||
|
9 |
1/L |
9 |
1/L |
||
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 3:07 pm EST
- TV: NBC 10
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- Wednesday, April 8, 2015: vs. Boston Red Sox, 7:05 pm
- TV: TCN, ESPN2
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
- Thursday, April 9, 2015: vs. Boston Red Sox, 7:05 pm
- TV: TCN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
- Friday, April 10, 2015: vs. Washington Nationals, 7:05 pm
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
