A CITIZEN'S BLOG

I only have a minute or two, so I apologize if this is too fast to be coherent. I'll be back on Monday:

This Padres-Phils series promises to be really interesting. In the last four series the Phils have played the other four NL West squads and have come away with a 10-3 record, including two series sweeps. Can they did it against the Padres? Tougher task, I think, because I think that they (the Padres) are the best team in the West.

This series, however, will be a real change from what the Padres have been used to: Petco is a real pitchers park (if I remember correctly, Barry Bonds- Barry Bonds -didn't homer in any of the three games he played there). The Padres are actually hitting for a higher OBP and a higher number of home runs on the road than at home. (Seeing the impact on the home team's power, I certainly wouldn't want the the Phils to play San Diego in the playoffs, especially as the visiting team.) The Phils, in contrast, are slugging the ball at Citizens: 33 homers in 17 games. I'll be interested to see how good the Padres pitching is, and to see if the Padres can adjust their playing style in a park so unlike their own.

Also, let's see how Byrd does in getting on base to set up the middle of the order.