08/07/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Philadelphia Phillies have been rolling as of late, their ace has been struggling. Cole Hamels will try for his first win in over a month and give his team a big series win when Philadelphia wraps up a three-game series with the Florida Marlins this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies have won eight of their last 10 and hold a 2 1/2 game lead over second-place Florida in the National League East standings. The New York Mets are three games off the pace.
Hamels, though, hasn't won since July 3, having gone 0-2 with a 3.86 earned run average in five starts since. Though a lack of support hurt him in the first three starts of his current skid, the 24-year-old phenom has been hit hard over his last two.
Hamels was drilled for nine runs, four of those earned, over 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on July 26 and then tagged for five runs (4 earned) on eight hits over six innings of a loss to St. Louis on Friday. The setback dropped Hamels to 9-7 with a 3.37 ERA on the season, and he has allowed eight homers over his winless streak.
The lefty, who has a 3.08 ERA in 13 home starts this season, is 0-1 in three outings against the Marlins this year and 2-3 with a 4.34 ERA in seven career starts against them.
Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross are a combined 5-for-16 (.313) off Hamels this year, with all five hits having been homers. Hanley Ramirez, meanwhile, is 2-for-10 with four strikeouts versus Hamels in 2008.
Philadelphia goes for a series win in today's rubber match after a 5-0 victory last night. Ryan Howard hit his 32nd homer of the season -- tied for the major-league lead, and upped his RBI total to an NL best 97 in Wednesday's win.
Kyle Kendrick (10-5) tossed six shutout innings, giving up four hits while walking five, with Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson completing the shutout.
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley had a hit to run his hitting streak to 11 games. He is batting .341 (14-for-41) over the burst with three homers and eight RBI.
Anibal Sanchez (1-1) was touched for four runs -- three earned -- on five hits in five innings to take the loss. The Marlins left 10 runners on base and fell for the third time in five games.
Chris Volstad goes today for the Marlins. The 21-year-old rookie made his fourth big-league start on Friday and dropped his second straight decision, allowing five runs (4 earned) over five innings to Colorado in what was the shortest outing of his young career. He is 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA this year and faces the Phillies for the first time.
Florida has won six of its 11 matchups with Philadelphia this season.
<< Rangers' Murphy to miss up to four weeks after collision
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder David Murphy
will miss two to four weeks after a collision with Yankees catcher Ivan
Rodriguez in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to New York.
The injury is listed as a straine
<< Blumenherst, Na win in match play opener at U.S. Women's Amateur
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephanie Na and Amanda Blumenherst each
posted victories in the opening round of match play Wednesday at the 108th
U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club.
The Australian Na beat Kelley Louth
<< Favre traded to Jets
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers reached an
agreement to trade quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets late
Wednesday night.
Though the Packers did not release terms of the trade, the Gree
<< Fish, Safin advance in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Russian Marat Safin and
sixth-seeded American Mardy Fish advanced, while second-seeded Spaniard
Fernando Verdasco fell in Wednesday's second-round action at the $475,000
Country
Cards aim for sweep of Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals send out their most successful
pitcher of 2008 to the mound as the playoff hopefuls shoot for a three-game
sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon at Busch Stadium.
After falling further bac
A's send Duchscherer to hill against Blue Jays' Burnett >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Duchscherer represented the Oakland Athletics in
this year's All-Star Game. A.J. Burnett has been pitching like one for the
Toronto Blue Jays as of late.
The two double-digit winners will go head-to-head when the Bl
Yanks' Mussina goes for 15th win in finale with Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Mussina will attempt to become the latest member of
the American League's 15-win club when the veteran hurler takes the mound for
the New York Yankees in tonight's finale of a four-game series with the host
Texas Rangers
First-place White Sox aim to extend Tigers' skid >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox aim for a three-game sweep of the
badly-slumping Detroit Tigers, who hope to avoid a seventh consecutive loss in
tonight's matchup between the American League Central rivals from U.S.
Cellular Field.
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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