A rematch of the 2009 NLCS is set to take place in Philadelphia, with both teams struggling since the All-Star break.
Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies
Colorado comes into Philadelphia with a 2-5 record on its current 11-game road trip, after losing three of four in Florida. “We’ve got to find a way to win a couple more games on this trip,” manager Jim Tracy said. It may prove tough for a turnaround in Philadelphia, a place where they’ve lost six of their last seven games. The club has 10 road series left on the season with seven of those against teams above .500. The Rockies have done a great job in bouncing back from defeat, posting a 27-17 record this year after a loss (+1,020). Colorado has also been great in starting off a series in winning fashion, going 7-2 in the first game of a series.
Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook is 4-5 with a 4.56 ERA in 18 starts this season, as the team has won his last three outings by a 16-10 margin. Over those three starts, he has allowed eight runs and 23 hits in 18.1 innings of work, including seven shutout innings last time out against the Cincinnati Reds. The right-hander is 1-5 with a 5.83 ERA in 10 road starts, issuing 24 walks and striking out 27 in 54 frames. In 10 career games (nine starts) against the Phillies, Cook is 1-5 with a 5.70 ERA, including an even 1-1 mark and 3.75 ERA in two lifetime starts at Citizens Bank.
Philadelphia snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-0 shutout victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, but the club is still just 2-6 since the All-Star break. They have averaged just 3.4 runs per game and hitting a combined .239 over that stretch. In their last three games, the team has scored just four runs while batting .208 and going 2-for-23 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies are 8-10 this month (-410) and the total is 7-10 O/U in those games. “We’re a good team, we’re not going to give up, we’re going to keep playing,” said Placido Polanco. Philadelphia has compiled a 5-4 record after shutting out an opponent this year (+80) and 18-12 in this situation the last three years (+160).
Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay is 10-8 with a 2.40 ERA in 20 starts this season, issuing just 19 walks and striking out 131 in 154 innings. The right-hander is coming off a subpar performance, giving up six runs (five earned) and seven hits over six innings in a 11-6 road loss to the Chicago Cubs on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Halladay stands at 6-4 with a 1.87 ERA in 11 home starts, as he’s tallied a complete game victories in his last two starts in Philadelphia. In two career starts versus the Rockies, he is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA, while not surrendering a home run in 15.1 innings.
The lines maker has made the home team a -200 to -225 for the seventh time this year, with the Phillies producing a 5-1 mark (+300). The Rockies will be playing just its second game as a road underdog of +175 to +200 (-100) and is 2-7 in this spot the last three years (-340).
