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Phillies-Giants Preview

Apr 27, 2010 - 6:34 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Philadelphia (11-8) at San Francisco (11-8), 10:15 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies boast one of the most potent lineups in the majors, but couldn't seem to get on track in their series opener against the San Francisco Giants.

Facing a struggling Todd Wellemeyer should help them bounce back.

The Phillies, who have succeeded in knocking Wellemeyer around in the past, try to even up the three-game set Tuesday night in San Francisco.

Philadelphia (11-8) ranks third in the majors with 105 runs, but matched a season low with four hits - three by Shane Victorino - in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Giants. The two-time reigning NL champions have dropped seven of their last 10 meetings with San Francisco.

"They come after us. When we play them, they definitely want to beat us," Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. "They looked better than we did. They had more energy. They were flashy. They were having more fun."

Chase Utley was hitless in two at-bats with a walk and RBI groundout and Ryan Howard went 0 for 3 with a strikeout and walk hours after agreeing to a $125 million, five-year contract extension.

Both sluggers may find better success in the middle game of this series.

Utley is 7 for 11 with three home runs and a double lifetime against Wellemeyer (0-3, 8.16 ERA), while Howard is 4 for 7 with two homers.

A free-agent acquisition who pitched for St. Louis in 2009, Wellemeyer has gotten off to an awful start with the Giants (11-8), yielding 13 runs in 14 1-3 innings while losing his first three starts. The right-hander needed 87 pitches to go four innings in San Diego on Wednesday, giving up two runs, three hits and four walks in a 5-2 loss.

Despite the troubles, manager Bruce Bochy is planning on sticking with the eighth-year veteran.

"He's been around," Bochy told the Giants' official website. "He'll regroup."

Maybe not against a Philadelphia team that has given him trouble in the past.

Wellemeyer was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 9-2 loss to the Phillies last July 26, dropping to 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in four career starts against them.

While Philadelphia's offense sputtered in the opener, San Francisco's showed some signs of life in handing ace Roy Halladay his first loss since joining the Phillies.

The Giants had 10 hits - all off Halladay - in their highest-scoring game since a 9-0 win over Los Angeles on April 17.

It was surely a jolt of confidence for San Francisco, which entered this series having plated two runs or fewer in six of its last seven games. The Giants were 3 for 7 with runners in scoring position Monday after going 5 for 54 during the seven-game slump.

The Giants look to improve to 4-1 on a nine-game homestand when they face Jamie Moyer (2-1, 5.00).

After yielding five runs in six innings in each of his first two starts, Moyer allowed two unearned runs and four hits in six innings of Thursday's 8-3 win in Atlanta. It marked the 260th career victory for Moyer, tying him with Ted Lyons for 39th on the all-time list.

The 47-year-old soft-tossing left-hander hasn't faced the Giants since giving up six runs and nine hits in four innings of an 8-2 loss at AT&T Park on May 10, 2008. He hasn't won in San Francisco since 1987, his first full season in the majors.