The Phillies currently hold the best record in baseball, while the Red Sox have dug themselves out of an early season hole to join the Yankees and Rays near the top of the American League East.
The Phillies boast perhaps baseball's best pitching staff, leading the majors in team ERA, while the Red Sox have relied heavily on their potent offense to get back into the World Series contender discussion, after starting off the season at 2-10.
The Phillies, in addition to their stellar pitching, are no slouches offensively either, which should make them a dangerous team come October.
Both the Sox and Phillies have terrific offensive infields, in particular.
The Red Sox infield consists of Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Marco Scutaro. Although each is solid defensively, their true impact lies at the plate.
Gonzalez leads the majors with a .361 average and 71 RBIs, and is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, dating back to his time in San Diego.
Youkilis is a two-time All-Star who won the Hank Aaron Award as the American League's best hitter in 2008. He finished third in the MVP voting that season, and has continued to excel in the middle of the Red Sox order since. This season, he has 11 home runs to go with 55 RBIs, while getting on base at his usual steady clip.
After missing significant time last season, Pedroia struggled a bit to begin this season. But has improved lately, hitting safely in 18 of his last 19 games — a stretch that has improved his average from .239 to .276. The 2008 AL MVP is a three-time All-Star.
Scutaro's offensive numbers might never be eye-popping, but he is a steady, reliable presence at the dish. During an injury-plagued 2010 for the Sox, only Adrian Beltre had more hits than Scutaro. While he's missed some time this season, both to injury and playing behind Jed Lowrie, Sox fans can always know what to expect from the solid veteran.
Like the Sox, the Phillies infield consists of some of baseball's biggest names as well. It includes Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins.
A former MVP and a three-time All-Star, Howard is one of the game's biggest power threats. He's led the National League in home runs twice and RBIs three times. He's finished in the top five in RBIs five times, and is currently second in the NL in that category this season.
Utley got a late start to his 2011 campaign due to an injury, but he remains one of the game's premiere second basemen. A five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, he's often been regarded as one of the game's most valuable players.
Polanco, like Scutaro, is a steady veteran force in his respective lineup. While his true value lies in his excellent defensive capabilities, he consistently hits close to .300, which earned him an All-Star selection in 2007.
Rollins, also a terrific defensive player, has had some up-and-down seasons over the course of his 12 years in a Phillies uniform. But when he's hitting, he's one of the game's best shortstops — evident by his 2007 MVP award.
Rollins is a three-time All-Star who's eclipsed the 30-steal mark eight times in his big league career. Each season, he's a threat to rack up close to 200 hits, at which point he is a menace on the basepaths.
