Dom Brown vs. north wind
Pitchers haven't been able to stop him; can the atmosphere?
Domonic Brown already was hot when the Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park on May 29. Then he became a certified general-alarm fire.
Since May 29 is 13 for 19 with five homers in six games. We can't quantiy the influence, but unquestionably the atmospheric conditions haven't hurt.
Winds have been blowing out to righfield, and the temperatures and humidities have been up there in the ideal zone for hitters. Warm, moist air is buoyant and can give a batted ball a lift.
This may well be a beautiful night for baseball, but not necessarily for hitters, for whom conditions have returned to earth.
Winds at game time will be blowing in from left-center, and the atmosphere will be radically different. Temperatures will be in the 70s, and the air will be almost bone dry.
Dewpoints -- a good measure of moisture in the air -- will be way down in the 40s, quite unusual for a June night.
On a subtler note, the barometric pressure -- simply the weight of the air -- is rising, and that means the air is getting heavier.
In short, this could be a good night for the pitchers. He'll cool down eventually, but the way he's going, neither Ricky Nolasco nor the atmosphere might be no match for the hottest hitter in baseball.