Final Series Begins as Jerome Williams Opposes Ervin Santana

There is no questioning this season has been just awful for the most part. The Phillies (72-87) head into the final weekend of play in last place in the NL East, a place they haven't been in at this time since 2000. Sure, there have been many disappointments this season but surprisingly enough, there have been bright spots. David Buchanan, Ken Giles and Jake Diekman showed this year that there is some young talent in the Phillies orgganization moving forward. Buchanan will likely be in next year's rotation, Giles has been lights out setting things up for Papelbon, who by the way has had a heck of a year himself with 38 saves. Jake Diekman has shown sites of potential but has also shown that he needs to work on controlling his pitches. Tonight, the Phils welcome in the Braves (77-82), who have had an extremely underwhelming year. Injuries to their pitching rotation and inconsistent offense ended up playing a big part in their struggles this season. Most thought Atlanta and Washington would be very close in the standings when the season ended. One of their offseason acquisitions, Ervin Santana, will take the mound tonight against a Phillies waiver-wire aqusition, Jerome Williams.

When the Phillies acquired Jerome Williams (4-2, 2.45), it brought on another eye roll by the fan base. It was expected. I mean they brought in a guy who had struggled mightily with Texas and Houston, posting a combined ERA of 7.97 over 28 games. Since coming to Philadelphia though, he has found a groove with his pitches. Over four starts this month, Williams posts an ERA of 2.92 (8 ER in 24.2 IP). His last two starts have been fantastic. After giving up eight runs in his first two outings in September, Jerome has thrown 14.2 consecutive shutout inning, striking out nine and walking only three. His last start came against Oakland, whom he had faced as a Ranger and an Astro earlier this season. He scattered just four hits in seven innings of work, helping the Phillies secure a 3-0 victory. What Williams' role may be in the future is yet to be seen, but with his numbers since joining the Phils, one would think he may be back next year competing for a spot in the rotation.

Meanwhile, the Braves will go with Ervin Santana (14-10, 3.88) in the series opener. He's started five games this season against the Phillies and has fared well in them, posting a 3-1 record to go along with an acceptable 3.82 ERA. While Santana has proven to be a consistent pitcher for Atlanta, his final month has been anything but that. After getting the win against the Phillies on September 3rd, the 31-year-old righty has lost his last three starts, giving up 13 earned runs in 16 innings of work. In his last start, he gave up five runs on six hits in the Braves 10-2 loss to the Mets.

Game Notes:

• Ken Giles entered Thursday with a 3-1 record, 1.21 ERA and a save in 43 appearances since being recalled in June from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. While the Mets Jacob deGrom will likely run away with Rookie of the Year, look for Giles to get some votes as well. The last Phillie to get in the top 3 in ROY voting was J.A. Happ, who finished second.
• Ryan Howard is 4-for-15 against Santana in his career, two of those hits being homers. Marlon Byrd is only 6-for-36 against him with 12 strikeouts.
• Braves utility-man Phil Gosselin returns to Philadelphia today to play in his hometown for the first time. Gosselin, originally from Bryn Mawr, PA idolized Chase Utley while he was growing up.
• This month, Freddy Galvis has been getting a look as full-time shortstop with Jimmy Rollins on the mend. Since the beginning of the month, Galvis has raised his average from .083 to .162. He also has three homers and eight RBI's in September.
• Jerome Williams and Ervin Santana are familiar with one another as they were both members of the 2012 Angels.

Lineups:

Phillies Lineup

1. Ben Revere CF
2. Carlos Ruiz C
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Marlon Byrd RF
6. Domonic Brown LF
7. Cody Asche 3B
8. Freddy Galvis SS
9. Jerome Williams

Braves Lineup

1. Phil Gosselin SS
2. Ramiro Pena 2B
3. Freddie Freeman 1B
4. Justin Upton LF
5. Jason Heyward RF
6. Christian Bethancourt C
7. Chris Johnson 3B
8. BJ Upton CF
9. Ervin Santana

First Pitch: 7:05 PM ET

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Weather: 71^o F, Clear, 0% PoP

TV: CSN

Radio: 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP

Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com