A weekend series at Philadelphia, where the Phillies carry the worst record in baseball (23-45), became even more appealing to the St. Louis Cardinals when Cole Hamels was scratched from his start Friday night.
• The season stats for both teams certainly bear out the best-versus-worst matchup at Citizens Bank Ballpark this weekend.
PHILLIES STARTING PITCHING IN 2015
| Statistic | Cole Hamels | Rest of rotation |
| Pitcher record | 5-5 (.500) | 10-31 (.244) |
| Team record |
7-7 (.500) |
16-38 (.296) |
| ERA | 2.96 | 5.38 |
| Opponents batting average | .213 |
.294 |
| WHIP | 1.11 | 1.48 |
| Strikeouts/nine innings | 9.83 | 5.53 |
• The Cardinals are definitely hitting and pitching like a first-place team.
CARDINALS VS. PHILLIES, SEASON STATS (MLB RANKS)
| Statistic | St. Louis Cardinals | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Winning percentage | .652 (first) | .338 (30th) |
| Run differential | +67 (second) | -112 (30th) |
| Team ERA | 2.62 (first) |
4.27 (27th) |
| WHIP | 1.19 (fourth) | 1.41 (29th) |
| Batting average | .261 (seventh) |
.236 (27th) |
| On-base percentage | .324 (sixth) | .285 (29th) |
• While their records are almost polar opposites, the Cardinals and Phillies share this in common: difficulty compiling big innings at the plate. The Phillies have produced the fewest innings this season scoring three or more runs with 18. The Cardinals have the second fewest in the majors with 19.
LARGEST DIFFERENTIAL IN ON-BASE PLUS SLUGGING PERCENTAGE IN MLB IN 2015
| Team | Own OPS | Opponents OPS | Differential |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | .766 | .654 | +0.112 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | .698 | .627 | +0.071 |
| Kansas City Royals | .731 | .661 | +0.070 |
| St. Louis Cardinals |
.716 | .651 | +0.065 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | .780 | .720 | +0.060 |
| Houston Astros | .738 | .678 | +0.060 |
• With 10 home runs this season, Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta is one of the game's few middle infielders leading his team in home runs. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has a team-high 13, while Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has 10 and Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has nine to lead their respective teams.
