This is a very interesting pitching matchup as Vicente Padilla will be opposing Pedro Martinez. Padilla looked very sharp in his start against the Cardinals but facing the Phillies is an entirely different animal. Padilla did not pitch against the Phillies this season but a few of the regulars in that lineup have given him problems in his career. Raul Ibanez is 9 for 28 (.321 avg, .930 OPS) with 2 homers and 4 RBIs against Padilla and he swung the bat very well last night. Ryan Howard has only two official at bats against Padilla and he has a two run homer off of him. Utley has hit a solo homer in three at bats against Padilla in his career. Finally, Jayson Werth is 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs against Padilla. So he better be careful against the Phillies lineup. Pedro Martinez has not pitched since September so it will be interesting to see if he’s rusty or well rested. He did not pitch against the Dodgers this season. He owns Manny Ramirez as he is only 5 for 30 (.167 avg) against Pedro with zero RBIs. Of the regulars only Matt Kemp (2 for 3, HR, 2 RBIs) and Russell Martin (2 for 3, 2B, RBI) have had much success against Pedro. The Dodgers would start Orlando Hudson at 2B today if they are smart. Hudson is 7 for 25 (.280 avg, .828 OPS) against Martinez with a double, triple, homer and 2 RBIs. Mark Loretta (4 for 9) and Juan Pierre (4 for 11, 2B, SB) both have also has success against Martinez. This should be a great baseball game to watch.