Gameday: Braves (13-18) at Phillies (18-12)

Atlanta Braves (13-17) at Philadelphia Phillies (18-12)

Kenshin Kawakami (0-5, 5.47 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.42 ERA)

Time: 1:35 p.m at Citizens Bank Park
TV: MyPhl 17 / TBS
Weather: Overcast/Cool/Windy, 55
Twitter: @philliesnation

First things first, the DL is getting another member. Brian Schneider joined it today with a left achillies injury, Paul Hoover was brought up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to be the backup to Carlos Ruiz.

Another very winnable game went by the wayside yesterday as the Braves took Game 2 of the set, 4-1.  The Phils left nine men on base and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They couldn’t even muster one extra base hit, although they did manage 13 base runners on the day.

Cole Hamels will look to build on his last two starts which have been very good.  Two weeks ago in San Francisco, Hamels went six and struck out 10. He followed that up with an 8-inning, 1-earned run performance against the St.Louis Cardinals this past Wednesday.  A third solid outing could mean he’s very much back as one of the best in the National League. If it’s a dud, more questions will arise about the maturity and focus of their young lefty.  A good deal is riding on today’s start.

On the other side it’s Kenshin Kawakami.  His stats don’t look pleasing to the eye, but Bobby Cox and his staff have all said he’s pitching better than those numbers indicate, and he’s not getting much run support to back it up.  He did fairly well against the Phils last season, going 1-0 in two starts, with an ERA in the mid-three’s.  Let’s hope he isn’t “due” for a win just yet.

Lineup:Victorino (CF), Polanco (3B),Utley (2B), Howard (1B), Werth (RF), Ibanez (LF), Ruiz (C), Valdez (SS), Hamels (P)

Your gameday beer: Pacifico

Cerveza Pacifico Clara is the real name for this beer which was brewed by three German men in Mexico in 1900. In 1954 it was purchased by Modelo (you’ve heard of them, yes), which is now owned by Anheuser Busch.  Seems like they own every beer.  So I guess Pacifico is like the Bud of our neighbors to the south.  Oh, well.  Happy Mothers Day!

Go Phillies!