Out of First
The Philadelphia Phillies fell out of first place in the NL East for the first time in nearly two months in their last game, but a series against the Atlanta Braves, who may be without star Chipper Jones, could help them get back on track.
The Phillies look to win their eighth straight versus the Braves when the division rivals begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Friday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Philadelphia -115 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 69% of bets for this game have been placed on Philadelphia -115 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Philadelphia (54-48) went into the All-Star break with a half-game lead over the second-place New York Mets, but it has fallen a game behind the Mets after losing the final two games of a three-game series this week at Shea Stadium.
"Something’s not in tune," manager Charlie Manuel said following Thursday’s 3-1 loss. "We have to pick it up. I don’t know if it’s hungry enough. I haven’t put my finger on it, but we have to get after it more. We don’t now have that extra kick, the kick we used to have."
Manuel’s team is hoping to turn things around against the Braves (48-53), who the Phillies are 8-1 against this season. Atlanta will likely not have Jones, the major league’s batting leader at .369. Jones strained his hamstring while running out a grounder in a 9-4 win over Florida on Wednesday.
"It’s sore right now," he said. "Hopefully it feels a lot better and I’ll be able to get in there in a couple of days. As of right now it doesn’t look good."
Jones and the Braves are 6 1/2 games behind the Mets. They’ve won five of their last eight, including two of three against the Marlins this week, and recognize the importance of this weekend’s series to their postseason hopes.
"We’d like to sweep those guys," starter Tim Hudson told the Braves’ official Web site. "But taking two out of three would be fine."
The Braves have been outscored 40-15 in their seven consecutive losses to Philadelphia, which fell out of first place for the first time since May 31 on Thursday.
The Phillies are hoping their offense can snap out of its post-All-Star game slump. They were averaging 5.0 runs per game before the break – the second-most in the NL – but only 3.8 in the second half.
Reigning league MVP Jimmy Rollins has particularly struggled. He’s batting .208 (5-for-24) in the last six games and did not start Thursday after showing up late to the ballpark.
"That’s one of our rules: Hustle and be on time," Manuel said. "That’s all I want to say about Jimmy. We’ve got other things here."
Rollins is batting .351 (13-for-37) with five extra-base hits against Atlanta this season. He faces Jair Jurrjens (9-5, 3.22 ERA) on Friday, who he has one hit in three at-bats against.
Jurrjens is 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA in his last three starts. He gave up five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings of a 8-2 loss against Washington last Saturday.
In the right-hander’s lone start against the Phillies on July 3, Jurrjens allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings of a 4-1 loss.
Kyle Kendrick (8-4, 4.87) counters for Philadelphia. The right-hander fell to 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in his last three starts after he allowed a season-high seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings of a 9-5 loss to the Marlins on Saturday.
Kendrick is 3-0 with a 4.13 ERA in five career starts against the Braves, including 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts this season.
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