Nationals at Phillies: July 11th to July 13th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Nationals 49-41, Tied for 1st in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Marlins
Phillies 41-51, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 9 games behind the Braves and Nationals

Nationals Probables:  Jordan Zimmermann (6-4, 2.79), Stephen Strasburg (7-6, 3.47), Tanner Roark (7-6, 3.12)
Phillies Probables:  A.J. Burnett (5-8, 3.92), Cole Hamels (3-5, 2.87), Kyle Kendrick (4-8, 4.46)

At the Ballpark:  Former Phillie (and pitching hero) Wilson Valdez will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday night's game.  On Sunday, there will be a pre-game ceremony honoring All-Star Chase Utley and all adult fans will receive a Phillies Tumbler.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .294

Runs:  Chase Utley - 50

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 18

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 55

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 26

Wins:  David Buchanan and A.J. Burnett - 5

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.87

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett - 102

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 22

1988 Topps #398, #406 and #407

1988 Topps Appreciation:  As we head into the All-Star break, I wanted to feature the three Phillies All-Star cards from the 1988 Topps set.  I'll have Utley's All-Star card from the 2014 Chachi set (#58 if you're keeping score at home) in my All-Star game wrap-up post, to be published at some point next week.

When opening packs of 1988 Topps back in the day, I was actually surprised to see Shane Rawley on an All-Star card.  Rawley had made the All-Star team back in 1986, but my young mind just never really thought of him as a true All-Star.  This probably wasn't fair to him, as he did have one of his better seasons in 1987, going 17-11 with a 4.39 ERA.