The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres finish their four-game series Monday night. After winning the first two, Philadelphia lost in an extra inning thriller Sunday afternoon to San Diego. Monday night’s game will start at 7:05 PM ET at Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Bank Park.
The baseball odds list the Phillies as heavy favorites in this one at -180 with the Padres at +155.
The Philadelphia Phillies offense has shown signs of life during this series after a lengthy stretch where it was nearly nonexistent. From May 22 to June 2, the Phillies (30-25, 15-11 home) lost 9 of 11 games and scored a dismal 14 runs during that stretch (including five shutouts). They have scored 14 runs in this series alone.
Philadelphia had a seven-game winning streak prior to Sunday’s loss. They are now two games out of first place in the NL East. A win would have got them one game closer to the division-leading Atlanta Braves, who also lost a close game in extra innings on Sunday.
The top-performing hitters for the San Diego Padres (33-23, 15-11 away) were Jerry Hairston Jr., Adrian Gonzalez, and Chase Headley. The 2-3-4 hitters went a combined 10-15 with four runs. Gonzalez in particular has been solid for the Padres, going 9 for 19 with two home runs his last four games.
In order to avoid losing their first series since mid-May, San Diego will have to get by Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (5-4, 4.20 ERA). It will be no easy task for the Padres, as the left-hander is 3-0 with a 3.49 ERA in four starts against them.
The Padres will place their hopes to remain at the top of their division in the hands of Wade LeBlanc (2-4, 3.67 ERA). The left-hander is currently on a four-start losing streak. The skid is largely the result of poor run support, as his teammates failed to provide a single run of support in three of the four losses. He has never started against Philadelphia.
