Padres at Phillies – 4/30, 7:05pm EDT

The Matchup: Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.05, 11 SO, 1.73 WHIP) vs. Chris Young (1-2, 3.77, 27 SO, 1.40 WHIP)

The Story: Moyer is coming off two strong 6 inning outings, while Chris Young hasn’t won a game in his last four appearances. Moyer’s ability to give the Phillies innings is obviously key to the team’s success. With the Phils’ potent offense, a respectable outing for Moyer may be all the Phillies need to win the game. That said, lowering expectations for Moyer, because of his age compared to any other pitcher, is a dangerous proposition. But, I would argue that his contribution to the team goes well beyond his work on the mound. Myers and Hamels have both commented frequently on Moyer’s coach-like presence in the locker room and in the dugout.

Back to that potent offense. The Phils go into the last game of April having scored the third most runs in the National League at 131, behind Arizona (157) and Chicago (152). Still, that is without Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino for most of the month, and with Ryan Howard slumping. Considering the Phils’ typical April woes and improvement as the year goes on, they should be racing to the top of this category in the coming months.

Lineups won’t be out until later, but the Jason Werth/Geoff Jenkins/Shane Victorino question still remains. Victorino did not start last night, so Manuel was not forced to make any tough decisions. Looking at Manuel’s comments, expect Werth to continue starting as long as he’s hot.