Phillies Making Push
Before they entered their weekend series against the wild-card leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies said their attitude was partially to blame for their recent struggles.
After a four-game sweep gave them a share of the lead, that doesn’t appear to be a problem anymore.
The Phillies look to continue their playoff push as they open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Turner Field.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Philadelphia -130 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 86% of bets for this game have been placed on Philadelphia-130 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Locked in tight races for the NL East title and wild card, Philadelphia lost eight of 14 games from Aug. 27-Sept. 10. After the Phillies capped that stretch with a 7-3 defeat to division rival Florida, pitcher Brett Myers said the team was "pressing." Manager Charlie Manuel said the club wasn’t playing with the same energy it did last September, when Philadelphia won 13 of its last 17 games to earn its first division title since 1993.
However, the Phillies (89-73) appear to have recaptured the form of that stretch run after winning four straight over Milwaukee to pull into a tie with the Brewers atop the wild-card race. They are one-half game behind the New York Mets in the division.
"I believe in attitude, charisma, whatever they want to call it," Manuel told the team’s official Web site. "When we come to the ballpark, everything’s OK and fine, and everybody’s in a good mood, upbeat. Everybody’s happy."
The Phillies left the ballpark just as happy Sunday after outscoring the Brewers 13-4 in a day-night doubleheader.
"Every night, there’s somebody else picking us up," said outfielder Shane Victorino, who was 5-for-7 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs in Sunday’s games. "That’s how you win a pennant."
The Phillies look to continue their push against an Atlanta team that helped them out over the weekend.
The Braves (67-83) won two of three from the Mets in their first of four straight series against the top two teams in the NL East. After this three-game series against Philadelphia, Atlanta hosts New York for three games then visits Philadelphia for three more.
"We’re going to help the Mets as much as we can when we play the Phillies six times, so it’s our job to be up for every game and go at it as hard as we can," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
The Braves will miss the playoffs for the third straight season after making all 14 playoff fields from 1991-2005, but they don’t plan on going quietly.
"We’re a prideful bunch over here," said Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, the major league leader with a .365 batting average. "We’ve been sitting where they are sitting now many times. … We’re not going to roll over. If they’re going to beat us, they’re going to earn it."
Though the Braves are relishing their opportunity to play spoiler, they’ve had little success against the Phillies this season. Atlanta has dropped 10 of the 12 meetings in 2008.
The Braves will face 45-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer (14-7, 3.68 ERA), who’s won three straight starts with a 2.50 ERA in that stretch. Moyer allowed three runs in 5 2-3 innings of a 6-3 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday, but he’s just 3-8 with a 5.29 ERA in 13 games – 12 starts – against Atlanta.
The Braves will counter with James Parr (1-0, 0.00), the first Brave to pitch 12 scoreless innings to start his career since Kyle Davies in 2005. After allowing two hits in six innings of a 2-0 win over Washington on Sept. 4, the right-hander held Colorado to five hits in six innings Wednesday. The Braves bullpen blew a 4-0 lead in that game before the team pulled out a 9-5 victory.
"Honestly, at first, I wanted the win," Parr said. "But this is about the team. I want the team to win. I’ve got to go out there and keep us in the game so we can take some momentum into next year."
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