Sport: MLBPick Selection: Philadelphia Phillies (Blanton) -140
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies 1:35 PM ET
Philadelphia Phillies (Blanton) -140
**71.2% Grand Slam Blowout of the Day** The Phillies won a wild one last night as after trailing 9-3, they put up a seven-run fifth inning and that momentum can be very long lasting. Most importantly, it snapped a three-game losing skid and brought them back up to within a game of the Mets in the National League East. It also snapped a seven-game streak of the road team winning in this series. The bats broke out yesterday and that could be a much needed boost for the offense which was slumping. The Phillies are 19-7 in their last 26 home games against a team winning fewer than 40 percent of its road games.
The Braves have been playing much better on the road but they have yet to put a real consistent string together. They are now 18-34 away from home which is tied for the fourth worst roads record in all of baseball. They are hitting only .247 away from home which is tied for the third worst average in the National League. The bullpen has really let this team down of late with a 6.75 ERA over the last 10 games and it logged a lot of innings last night. The Braves are 11-24 in their last 35 road games against a team with a winning home record.
Joe Blanton will be making just his second start for the Phillies following his trade from the A?s. The first outing did not go great as he allowed five runs in sis innings against the Mets but the Phillies were still able to pick up the win. He is not having a great season but the home crowd will help here as his numbers in home games have been much better than on the road. One huge factor that could play a role here is the fact that this will be the first time he has ever faced the Braves.
Atlanta counters with Jorge Campillo and he has been a huge surprise for the team. However, most of that success came early on and out of the bullpen. He has started 12 games, and he allowed just one run in his first three outings. Since then in his last nine starts, he has posted a 4.09 ERA with the Braves going 4-5 in those games. The contrarian thinking comes into play here as he has tossed three straight quality starts with all three of those coming on the road. The Braves are 1-4 in Campillo?s last five starts after allowing five runs or more in their previous game. The Phillies take the series. Play Philadelphia Phillies 2 Units
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