Top NL Matchup
Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t enjoy much success at home in June, but July was a much different story.
The NL East-leading Phillies look to continue their home surge Tuesday night when they open a three-game set with a Colorado Rockies club that’s won four straight on the road.
Oddsmakers from online online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Phillies -135 moneyline favorites for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 67% of more than 405 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies -135.
After dropping eight of nine at Citizens Bank Park in June, Philadelphia (59-44) won 14 of 17 there in July.
The Phillies averaged 6.9 runs and batted .297 at home last month, but return to Philadelphia for six games after scoring 2.9 runs and hitting .205 during a 3-4 trip that ended with Sunday’s 7-3 loss to San Francisco.
"Hitting with runners in scoring position is something (where) you’ve got to bear down and know what you can do and how to do it,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Sunday after his team left two in scoring position. "With a man on third base … you’ve got to get that one guy in first and think about moving the runners up and playing the game the right way. If you don’t do that, then it’s hard to do."
While the Phillies will try to avoid their third straight loss, Manuel will hand the ball to 46-year-old Jamie Moyer.
Moyer (10-7, 5.32 ERA) threw 6 2-3 scoreless innings in his last start, allowing six hits and four walks in Monday’s 6-2 victory over Arizona. The left-hander improved to 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in his last seven starts.
"He made some pitches and was able to get out of trouble without getting hurt," Manuel told the Phillies’ official Web site. "He took us to a good place in the game."
Moyer will face the Rockies for the first time since defeating them in Philadelphia on May 26, 2008. He had been 0-4 with a 5.54 ERA in four previous starts versus Colorado.
The Rockies (58-47), meanwhile, are trying to snap a four-game slide in Philadelphia after sweeping Cincinnati in a three-game set. Dexter Fowler’s two-out triple in the 11th inning scored the go-ahead run Sunday as Colorado posted a 6-4 win to improve to 3-4 on its trip.
"That was a great game to grind that out in the manner in which we did,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "We win that game because of several little things that we pride ourselves in.”
Colorado hasn’t lost since Jason Hammel (5-6, 4.66) lasted 1 1-3 innings in Thursday’s 7-0 loss to the New York Mets in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. The right-hander yielded five runs and seven hits – including five straight to begin the second inning – in his shortest outing of 2009.
"My put-away pitches were not put-away pitches. They were in the middle of the plate. Other than that, well, I wasn’t out there long enough to talk too much about it," Hammel told the Rockies’ official Web site.
Hammel has never faced Philadelphia.
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has three homers and nine RBIs during his nine-game hitting streak in which he’s hitting just .275 (11 for 40). The 2007 NL MVP was 2 for 14 as Philadelphia took two of three at Coors Field in April.
Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, meanwhile, is batting .517 (15 for 29) with three home runs and 12 RBIs during his nine-game hitting streak. He’s also batting .538 (7 for 13) with two home runs and four RBIs in four career games in Philadelphia.
The Rockies’ last win in Philadelphia was 12-0 on Sept. 12, 2007.
Posted: 8/4/09 6:00AM ET
