Phillies Battle Marlins
The Philadelphia Phillies have been atop the NL East for the past six weeks, but they suddenly have some company.
The Phillies look to stay atop the division when they open the second half of the season with a three-game series against the Florida Marlins on Friday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Florida -115 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 73% of bets for this game have been placed on Florida -115 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Philadelphia (52-44) had a season-high four-game lead in the East on June 14, but it has lost 15 of 26 since then and is now tied with the streaking New York Mets for first place. The Phillies, who won the division last season thanks to a late-season collapse by the Mets, have been in first since June 1.
"We’ve worked hard to get to where we are, and obviously don’t want to throw it away," Jamie Moyer told the Phillies’ official Web site.
The Marlins (50-45) are also right in the thick of the division race, as they’re just 1 1/2 games out of first after finishing last in the East a year ago.
"I think we’ve surprised the baseball world – just as Tampa Bay has," Florida’s Luis Gonzalez said. "I think everybody’s still waiting for both teams to falter, but we continue to go out there and surprise people. And that’s what makes it very exciting and fun for our club."
In an attempt to make consecutive trips to the playoffs for the first time since 1980 and ’81, the Phillies acquired right-hander Joe Blanton from Oakland on Thursday to help bolster their starting rotation.
Philadelphia has been a strong team after the All-Star break the past few years, and is hoping for a similar push this season. The Phillies had the NL’s second-best second-half record (45-29) last season, and also had the league’s second-best record (45-30) after the All-Star break in 2006.
"We’re a second-half team," Shane Victorino said. "We’ve shown that over the past few years. We’ve been able to come back and play well late in the season. Why can’t we do it again?"
Moyer (8-6, 3.95 ERA) takes the ball Friday for the Phillies hoping to set the tone for a strong second half as he looks to continue his dominance over Florida.
Moyer has made nine career starts against the Marlins and has won each time. He has been at his best at Dolphin Stadium, where he has posted a 1.30 ERA in winning his four starts there. Moyer has defeated the Marlins twice this season, including one of his best performances of the year on June 12, when he gave up two hits in eight innings in a 3-0 win.
In his last start on July 10, the 45-year-old left-hander allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings of a 4-1 win over St. Louis for his first victory since beating Florida on June 12.
The Marlins counter with Ricky Nolasco (10-4, 3.70), who looks to continue his surprising season after starting the year in the bullpen. Nolasco has proven to be Florida’s most consistent pitcher, as the Marlins have won the right-hander’s last seven starts, and 10 of his last 11.
In his final four starts before the break, Nolasco went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA, 30 strikeouts and two walks in 29 innings. On Saturday, he allowed two runs and five hits in six innings of a 5-3, 11-inning win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nolasco has also been solid against the Phillies, as he’s allowed five runs – two earned – in 12 2-3 innings in winning his two starts against them this season. He is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in four career starts versus Philadelphia.
Second baseman Dan Uggla is looking to bounce back from an awful performance in Tuesday’s All-Star game, as he made a record three errors and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the NL’s loss. Getting back on track against Moyer won’t be easy, though, as Uggla is just 2-for-21 (.095) with 10 strikeouts versus him.
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