To open the second half of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies dropped seven of their first eight games including a four-game losing streak. On July 22, they beat St. Louis 2-0 in 11 innings to avoid being swept, and things have been good ever since. On Thursday, they will go for their second straight sweep when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final game of a three-game series.
The baseball odds list the Phillies as -160 favorites and the Diamondbacks at +140. The total is 9.5 runs.
The Philadelphia Phillies (55-46, 33-18 home) have struggled on offense for much of the season. But over the course of their season-long seven-game winning streak, their offense has been very productive, averaging over six runs per game.
The Phillies have been hit hard with injuries, however, and their luck may soon run out. Chase Utley remains on the disabled list and was joined by Jamie Moyer and Shane Victorino this past week. Jimmy Rollins has missed the last two games due to a foot injury.
While the Phillies are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, the Arizona Diamondbacks (37-64, 13-35 away) iare on the verge of a seven-game losing streak. They have dropped their last six by a combined score of 39-16.
Joe Saunders (6-10, 4.62 ERA) will make his debut for the Diamondbacks. He was involved in the trade that sent ace Dan Haren to the LA Angels on Sunday. The left-hander is 6-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 11 starts versus the NL, including a win two years ago the only time he faced the Phillies.
Philadelphia counters by starting Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 4.60 ERA). He is coming off of an impressive performance in which he gave up one run in seven innings in a 10-2 victory over Colorado last Saturday. The start was a good sign for Kendrick, who was sent down to the minors after giving up seven runs to St. Louis on July 19 only to be moved back up when Moyer went down.
