Phillies series preview

After a disappointing series loss to the Marlins, the Braves begin a three-game series tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies, marking only the second series between the teams so far in 2013 and the first trip Atlanta has made to Citizens Bank Park this season.

After a few seasons of dominating the NL east, 2013 has been a harsh reality check for Phillies' fans that believed the team's core had one more run in them.  They have been as inefficient financially as any franchise in the game the past few years, there's not much in the way of relief coming from the minor leagues, and winning in this division won't get any easier considering the youth and savvy of Atlanta and Washington.  Ruben Amaro Jr, or Ruin Tomorrow Jr as he has become so affectionately known to some, has indicated to the media that he's proud of the Phillies' desire to buck the analytic trend that has overcome baseball since the turn of the century.  In doing so, he's losing ground every single day that he, and the front office/ownership as a whole, refuse to acknowledge and make use of information and data.  In the contemporary baseball landscape, leveraging statistical and abstract analytic abilities are paramount to success.  How someone in his position could either a) fail to recognize that, or b) recognize it and ignore it, is utterly astounding.  Every team in this division is better off the longer Amaro stays in his position in Philadelphia, because if they ever decide to get someone that actually knows what they're doing, they could be a very dangerous team for a very long time.

There is a decent chance that this series will be the last time the Braves face Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon as Phillies, and there could be others that are moved (Cliff Lee) depending upon how the next few weeks turn out.  They are 15-17 since June 1 and haven't been a serious factor in any race thus far, sitting 8.5 games out of both the NL east and the wild card.  A series loss to the rival Braves this weekend could prove to be the fatal blow. 

Series matchups:

Tonight, 7:05 (local broadcast)

Paul Maholm v. Cliff Lee

Saturday, 7:15 (FOX broadcast)

Tim Hudson v. Kyle Kendrick

Sunday, 1:35 (local broadcast)

Kris Medlen v. Jonathan Pettibone

Lineup:

Simmons (sigh)
Heyward
J Upton
Freeman
Johnson
Uggla
BJ
Laird

(Park overlay courtesy of Hit Tracker Online)