Diamondbacks Vs. Phillies: Series Preview, Pitching Matchups And More

Even though the Phillies are currently in the process of dismantling their roster, the Diamondbacks will have no easy task on their hands as they visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend. The Phillies traded away their two top outfielders in Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino (both to the NL West, to the D-backs' chagrin) and as of Thursday, they placed ace pitcher Cliff Lee on waivers.

Still, there is plenty to worry about when it comes to Philadelphia (besides a cheesesteak overdose). They still have dangerous batters in Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on their roster and their pitching staff has the ability to put zeros on the board on any given night. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels (whom the D-backs won't see this series), Cliff Lee and Vance Worley all know how to get the job done.

For the D-backs, they are coming off a series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The odd part is, they managed to take all three of the games in L.A. Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero have both seen upticks in their batting average as of late. Goldschmidt, in particular, has been fantastic. Over the past seven days, he has 13 hits in 27 at-bats and five runs. If he can keep that up against top notch pitching, the Diamondbacks could find themselves climbing up the standings once again.

Here are the projected pitching matchups for this series:

Friday, August 3rd, 7:05 PM ET: Ian Kennedy (9-8, 4.20) vs. Joe Blanton (8-9, 4.59)

Saturday, August 4th, 7:05 PM ET: Joe Saunders (5-7, 3.62) vs. Roy Halladay (4-6, 4.33)

Sunday, August 5th, 7:05 PM ET: Trevor Cahill (9-9, 3.75) vs. Cliff Lee (2-6, 3.73)

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