The Captain's Blog

When Shane Victorino steps to the plate to lead off tonight’s game, you can’t blame the Yankees if they immediately flashback to his groundout that ended the 2009 World Series. The Yankees haven’t become  a successful franchise by looking back, however, so while the fans revel in that recollection, you can bet the team will be focused on the task at hand.

Roy Halladay was not a member of last year’s pennant winning Phillies team, but the Yankees are still intimately familiar with the talented right hander. In 35 career starts against the Bronx Bombers, Halladay sports an 18-6 record with an ERA of 2.84, including seven complete games and three shutouts.

Of course, the Yankees haven’t been Halladay’s only victim over the years. Since 2001, Halladay’s ERA+ of 147 ranks second to only Johan Santana’s 150. With his move to the National League, Halladay has managed to increase his level of dominance, compiling an ERA+ of 212 and throwing a perfect game along the way.

While the trade for Halladay has certainly worked out for the Phillies (even if the corresponding trade of Cliff Lee serves as a mitigating factor), not much else has gone right for the National League champs. At only 32-29, the Phillies find themselves closer to the last place Nationals than the first place Braves. Part of the reason for the Phillies’ struggles has been the loss of All Star short stop Jimmy Rollins for much of the season. His absence, along with disappointing early season returns from Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, has robbed the Phillies offense of its trademark explosiveness (perhaps best exemplified by Placido Polanco hitting cleanup). Meanwhile, beyond the 1-2 punch of Halladay and Cole Hamels, the Phillies rotation has also underperformed, with Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton all currently sporting ERAs well above the league average.

With Halladay on the mound and Alex Rodriguez still out of the lineup, Yankees’ starter C.C. Sabathia will need to be at his best.  The Yankees big lefty has not won a game against a team other than the Orioles since April 16, and has posted a 5.27 ERA in his last seven starts. In order for the much anticipated pitcher’s duel to come to fruition, Sabathia will have to improve the command of both his fastball and curve as well as keep the Phillies sluggers from leaving the yard.

After enjoying a very soft schedule since the end of May, the Yankees embark on a week that will begin with Roy Halladay and end with Johan Santana. By the end of the week, we should have a better idea about whether the Yankees are the major’s best team, or a paper tiger created by an easy schedule.

• Before the game, Sergio Mitre was placed on the disabled list with an oblique injury. Boone Logan was recalled from Scranton to take Mitre’s place on the roster.
• Since 2001, Roy Halladay and C.C. Sabathia are the two pitchers in the major leagues who have compiled the most wins. Halladay has won 143 in that time span, while Sabathia trails closely behind with 142.
• Halladay’s 18 wins against the Yankees is the most by an active pitcher. Tim Wakefield ranks second with 11 wins.
• The last time the Yankees engaged in a World Series rematch during the regular season was on June 10-12, 2002, when the team took two of three from the Diamondbacks.
• The Yankees will need one win in the series to avoid falling under .500 against the Phillies in regular season play. The only two teams with a regular season advantage over the Yankees are the Reds (4-2) and Dodgers (2-1).
• At 137-97, the Yankees have the best cumulative record in interleague play, ahead of the Twins at 135-99. The Phillies, on the other hand, have the fourth worst interleague record at 98-125.