In one of the strangest turns of events in the history of baseball scheduling, the Phillies kick of a three game "road" series tonight at Citizens Bank Park against the Blue Jays, in order to accommodate the G-20 Summit, and all the attendant fanfare and liberal arts college students with their puppets and masks and rocks and stuff, in Toronto.
Wondering what kind of difference this oddity will make? TGP alumnus Matt Swartz looks at that over at Baseball Prospectus (subscription required). The whole piece is excellent, but Swartz's conclusion is advantage Phillies:
The reality is that short of maybe some first-inning adjustments and a smidge of designated hitter-related advantage, this is a home series for the Phillies and a road series for the Blue Jays. Expect the Phillies to have an eight percent increase in their probability of winning each game, versus if these games were played in Toronto. That is roughly similar to taking an ace away from one team and giving it to the other team. But I guess these teams have already done that, too.
Ironically enough, former Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay will be facing off against his old team for the first time tonight. How poetic. Jesse Litsch gets the ball for the Blue Jays.
Discuss the game below.