Rockies vs. Phillies Preview
PHILADELPHIA, PA (AP) – Joe Blanton took the loss in his last outing, which began a four-game losing streak for the Philadelphia Phillies. With the streak over, he’ll look to get back on track.
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Philadelphia hosts Colorado on Thursday night when the teams finish their brief two-game set.
Blanton (1-2, 5.50 ERA) allowed two runs in five innings of a 5-3 loss to Atlanta on Saturday as the NL East-leading Phillies (26-16) began a four-game stretch in which they scored seven runs combined.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Phillies -110 money line favorites for Thursday’s game against the Rockies. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 56% of more than 121 bets for this game have been placed on the Phillies +100.
The offense sputtered again Wednesday against the Rockies, though Philadelphia’s skid ended with a 2-1 victory as Cole Hamels outdueled Jorge De La Rosa.
Shane Victorino missed his third straight game with a sore right hamstring, which hasn’t helped the already struggling offense. He’s scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday.
Jimmy Rollins, who is 4 for 20 over his last four games, drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly.
“I’m concerned about it,” manager Charlie Manuel said of the team’s offensive struggles. “But with the pitching we have, we’ll keep chipping away and we’re going to improve our offense. We’re gonna get it done.”
Blanton hopes to follow Hamels’ performance with a solid outing of his own. He last faced Colorado (22-19) on Sept. 2, allowing six runs in 4 1-3 innings of a 12-11 Phillies victory.
The right-hander will be opposed by Jhoulys Chacin (4-2, 2.89 ERA), who allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings of that same matchup in September.
Chacin has pitched well in has last three starts, though he hasn’t factored into the decision in his last two. The right-hander allowed five runs – three earned – in six innings of a 9-7 loss to San Diego on Saturday.
The Rockies had won two straight prior to Wednesday’s loss, their only back-to-back wins since April 25-26. Since beginning the season 11-2, Colorado has gone 11-17.
The Rockies have lost six of seven on the road and 12 of 18 overall. Still, manager Jim Tracy believes his squad will turn things around.
“We know what we have. We know what we are capable of doing,” Tracy told the team’s official website. “Like I always say, once in a while, you get off the beaten path. It happens in a 162-game season.”
Todd Helton had a game-tying RBI double in the seventh, but the Rockies were unable to add to their NL-leading 15 come-from-behind victories. Helton has been hitting well lately, going 10 for 25 (.400) with three home runs and five RBIs over his last seven starts.
Troy Tulowitzki’s average dipped to .248 after a 0 for 4 performance Wednesday. Carlos Gonzalez, the reigning NL batting champion, went 2 for 4 but has also struggled this season.
After hitting .336 with 34 home runs and 117 RBIs in 2010, Gonzalez is hitting .242. Wednesday was only his second multihit game in May.
Colorado has lost seven straight games in Philadelphia.
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