The teams with the two best records in the National League start a four-game series tonight at Dodger Stadium, in a rematch of last year's NLCS.
Clayton Kershaw has given up three runs in four home starts this season, yet has only one win to show for it. In 15 career starts at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw has given up more than three runs only once, and has a 2.76 career home ERA.
Phillies' ace starter Cole Hamels may appear to be struggling with a 5.21 ERA, but don't judge this book by it's cover. He has given up a home run on 21.3% of his flyballs, an unsually high number -- the league average is around 11% -- and, as a result, his expected Fielding Independent Pitching (x-FIP) is a career-best 3.18.
I would bring up that the Dodgers have won five straight regular season home games against the Phillies, but it doesn't seem right in light of the 2008 NLCS. Also, the Phillies are an MLB-best 19-6 on the road this season. The Dodgers have the second-best road record, at 17-12.
Beyond the Boxscore has started their weekly power rankings, and in this week's edition, the Dodgers come out on top in the NL, following only Tampa Bay and Toronto overall. The Phillies are ranked third in the NL (behind the Dodgers and Mets) and 11th overall.
The Phillies once again lead the National League in stolen base percentage, stealing 43 times in 52 attempts, an 82.7% success rate. The Phillies, who also led the majors in SB% in 2007 & 2008, have been successful on 317 out of 370 stolen base attempts since the beginning of 2007, for a success rate of 85.7%.
If the Dodgers want advice on how to deal with the return of a player after a 50-game suspension, perhaps they can ask the Phillies, who just welcomed back reliever J.C. Romero.
The Dodgers have not won a game on the same day as a Lakers' Game 1 of the NBA Finals since June 7, 2000 in Texas.
Fernando Valenzuela will take over as host of the next Carne Asada Sunday, on June 28 after the game against the Seattle Mariners. "It’s an honor to continue the tradition of Carne Asada Sundays and share my culture with the fans," said Valenzuela. "I’m always very humbled at the support I still receive and I look forward to spending time with them."
Here are tonight's potential winners in the Russell Martin HR contest:
| matthewmafa | 4th inning, 369 feet |
| BlueCrueNews | 5th inning, 387 feet |
| mwhite06 | 6th inning, 402 feet |
Get your guesses in for today's "She Is Gone" contest here.