Heard in the Cheap Seats

The Philadelphia Phillies will look to continue their recent 8-game winning streak in a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.  The Cub themselves come in winners of four straight, though all four of those games came against the lowly Nationals.

It is not hard to see why Philadelphia is winning of late.  The Phillies recent surge has come on the back of solid starting pitching and the resurgence of Jimmy Rollins.  Rollins is hitting .397 (23 for 58) with eight doubles, a homer, eight RBI, five stolen bases and 10 walks over his last 14 games.  To me, the most impressive number in that bunch is the 10 walks.  Rollins has seemingly discovered a more patient approach at the plate that allows the run producers behind him to do their jobs.  When Rollins gets on base, this team is tough to beat.

But despite the solid string of play I suspect this will be a tough series.  In looking at the pitching matchups, the Phillies have the bad luck of facing all of the Cubs top three starters.   Tonight, Ted Lilly will face Rodrigo Lopez.  Each starter is coming off an injury, albeit, Lopez’s was of the more serious variety.  Tomorrow, Joe Blanton will square off against Rich Harden and Jamie Moyer will have Carlos Zambrano to deal with in the finale.  In each matchup, the Cubs hold the upper hand on paper.  And while winning four games against Washington is nothing to brag about, it sometimes can serve as a springboard to more consistent play that the Cubs are looking for.

Make no mistake: this is a talented Cubs team that just may be finding its groove.  If the Phillies take this series lately, they could come out on the losing end.