Padres vs. Phillies Preview
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Fans of the injury-plagued Philadelphia Phillies might have held their breath when they saw Roy Halladay walk off the mound in the fifth inning of his previous start.
Fortunately for the Phillies, he was just overcome by heat and humidity.
Halladay is expected to be ready as the Phillies try to earn their 10th consecutive win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Phillies -220 money line favorites for Sunday’s game against the Padres. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 73% of more than 846 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies -220.
Philadelphia (63-36) already had starters Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton on the disabled list when Halladay made his first appearance after the All-Star game on Monday against the Chicago Cubs.
While attempting to earn a seventh straight win, Halladay had to deal with a 91-degree evening at Wrigley Field. That left him dizzy and light-headed after four-plus innings of a 6-1 defeat.
The outing was his shortest since he went three innings for Toronto against Florida on June 12, 2009.
“I think it just got to the point where it just kept continuing and kept getting hotter and hotter, and I couldn’t stop it,” he told the team’s official website. “It was a combination of everything – heat, travel – I think it got me at one point. In that last inning, there was a point where I felt like I was about to get wheeled off the mound.”
A matchup with the light-hitting Padres (44-57) could make Halladay (11-4, 2.57 ERA) feel better as he tries to bounce back from his first loss in 11 starts. He tied a career high with 14 strikeouts during a 3-1 victory in San Diego on April 24 and is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in two all-time matchups.
The Padres have been outscored 34-13 during their nine-game skid against Philadelphia and 23-10 in six matchups this season. They pushed across six runs Saturday but couldn’t contain Chase Utley in an 8-6 loss.
The Phillies second baseman homered twice, including a solo shot during a five-run seventh inning, and matched a season high with four RBIs.
“That’s key that Chase has been swinging the bat well,” first baseman Ryan Howard said.
Howard had a pinch-hit homer and Michael Martinez hit a three-run shot during the seventh.
In its attempt for a fifth straight win, Philadelphia will try to keep rolling against Tim Stauffer (6-6, 2.83), who is 5-2 with a 1.33 ERA in his last eight starts. The right-hander gave up four hits over six innings in a 4-0 win over Florida on Tuesday.
“He throws four pitches for strikes, and he does such a good job of using both sides of the plate,” catcher Rob Johnson said. “It’s tough on hitters when you don’t know what he’s going to be coming with.”
Stauffer is 0-1 with an 11.15 ERA in three career starts against Philadelphia but was solid during a 4-2 loss April 23. He allowed two runs and four hits while striking out seven over six innings.
Ryan Howard is 4 for 8 with two home runs against the right-hander, while Jason Bartlett – 10 for 23 over his last five games – is 11 for 37 in his career against Halladay.
The Phillies are riding their longest win streak against the Padres since an 11-game run May 23, 2004-July 4, 2006.
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