Hamels and Teheran square off in series opener
Apr 1, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Cole Hamels and Julio Teheran currently rank fourth and tenth in ERA in the National League, respectively. They face one another on Monday.
The Braves starter is second in the NL with 22 quality starts, three more than Hamels’ 19. Teheran has appeared in four more games than Hamels this season and owns a 13-9 record, though a 7-6 record does not do justice to the season the Phillies ace has had.
Turner Field will host the series, a park Hamels is 1-0 in this season with a 0.64 ERA over 14 innings. He has 15 strikeouts against the Braves in 2014 with both of his starts against them on the road. The lefty has struck out Freddie Freeman 14 times in his career, though the Braves first baseman has taken him yard twice. Evan Gattis has also homered twice against Hamels, though his have come in just six at bats.
Teheran has gone no longer than 6.1 innings in his last three starts, but it’s been enough to earn him the win each time. He’s given up just three earned runs and 11 hits in that time. The Colombian native is 2-0 in three starts against Philadelphia in 2014, one of them a complete game. During those three starts he’s limited Phillies batters to a .155 average and struck out 19.
Phillies leadoff man Ben Revere is 3-for-11 with one of his 20 career triples coming off Teheran. The outfielder only has a .143 average at Turner Field this season, hardly home turf although he was born Atlanta. Revere has remained among the best in the NL in batting average and stolen bases, currently ranking third in each category.
Atlanta leads the season series 8-5 and is currently second in the NL East. With the Braves vying for a playoff spot, the Phillies may yet again be in a position to play spoiler as they recently swept the first-place Washington Nationals.
Phillies lineup:
Ben Revere CF
Jimmy Rollins SS
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Marlon Byrd RF
Domonic Brown LF
Carlos Ruiz C
Cody Asche 3B
Cole Hamels P
Braves lineup:
Heyward RF
Bonifacio CF
Freeman 1B
J. Upton LF
Johnson 3B
Gosselin 2B
Simmons SS
Laird C
Teheran P