Phils Host Division Foes
Tom Glavine is still looking for his first win since returning to the Atlanta Braves in the offseason.
Philadelphia Phillies starter Brett Myers has faced his own struggles in his return to the team’s starting rotation.
Both hoping to get back on track, Glavine and Myers square off as the Braves and Phillies continue their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Philadelphia -139 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 63% of bets for this game have been placed on Atlanta +129 (View MLB Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
Glavine won 242 games with Atlanta from 1987-2002 before leaving to sign with the New York Mets. The 42-year-old left-hander won 61 games with the Mets over five seasons, giving him 303 in his career, before re-signing with the Braves in November.
Despite pitching effectively so far in 2008, Glavine (0-1, 4.03 ERA) hasn’t yet been rewarded with a win. He held Pittsburgh to two runs and five hits in seven innings on Friday, but didn’t get much help from his offense as Atlanta (19-19) fell 3-2.
After that game, Glavine admitted that he has been frustrated with the early lack of success.
"There’s nothing else I can do," Glavine said after the Braves fell to 1-5 in games started by the two-time Cy Young Award winner. "I want to win and be a part of what’s going on around here. The flipside is, I’m happy with the way I’m throwing the ball. I’m giving us a chance to win, it just hasn’t happened for me. If I keep throwing the ball the way I’m throwing it, I’ll win my share of games."
Myers (2-3, 5.33) sounded a little less positive after he was tagged for a season-high seven runs – six earned – on Thursday when Philadelphia (22-18) lost 8-3 at Arizona.
"I can’t put together back-to-back good starts and I don’t know what the problem is," said Myers, who fell to 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts since winning consecutive outings April 11 and 17. "That’s frustrating. … I’ve just got to keep working and try to get through it."
Myers could still be adjusting to pitching long innings after spending most of last season coming out of the bullpen. Based on the reaction of Phillies manager Charlie Manuel after his last outing, however, the right-hander needs to get things sorted out quickly.
"He’s got to pitch better than that," Manuel said. "He’s got to get consistent. He plays a part in us winning. He was our opening day starter and we want him to be consistent. He has to pitch and win for us."
Myers is 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA in 24 career games – 17 starts – against the Braves.
Glavine, meanwhile, is 28-17 with a 3.68 ERA in 64 career starts against the Phillies, including 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in five outings against them in 2007 – all quality starts.
Glavine hopes to continue his success against the NL East rival Phillies and help the Braves avoid their fifth loss in six games. Atlanta took a 3-0 lead in the first inning of Tuesday night’s series opener, but Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth drove in four runs with three hits as Philadelphia rallied for a 5-4 victory.
"I haven’t been hitting well with guys on base," said Werth, who raised his season average with runners in scoring position from .208 to .296. "I’m glad I got the guys in when it counted."
Werth is 8-for-15 with nine RBIs in his career against Atlanta, and 2-for-8 with a home run lifetime against Glavine. Bet this game.
Here are some top trends for today’s game:
– GLAVINE is 15-11 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.57 and a WHIP of 1.328.
– His team’s record is 22-16 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 19-16. (+0.8 units)
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