MLB Match-Up Wednesday – Playoff implications on the line in NL East battle

by T. J. Kendrick

Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies – Wednesday, August 6 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

Philadelphia (61-50) and Florida (59-53) are in a tight race with the Mets for the NL East division crown. It will be a hard-fought battle, as the teams have split their last 10 games against each other.

The Phillies have been very hot lately, winning seven of their last eight games. They rank second in the National League in runs and have been scoring at their usual clip lately. Chase Utley and Shane Victorino have been a big part of that. Both are hitting well over .300 in their last six games, and they’ve combined for five homers and 12 RBIs.

If Ryan Howard starts tattooing the ball again, they’ll be even better. The hefty Howard is playing well, hitting .333 in his last six games, but he has just one homer and two RBIs in that stretch. He has 31 homers and 96 RBIs on the season.

Kyle Kendrick (9-5) will start for the Phillies. His 4.59 ERA and 1.49 ERA are more indicative of this season’s performance than his record. Philadelphia has gone 3-3 in Kendrick’s last six starts. Florida owned him earlier this season, hitting three dingers and scoring seven runs in 4.1 innings against Kendrick. He fared better in 2007, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts.

Anibal Sanchez (1-0) will start for Florida. Last week the young right-hander won his only start of the season, a 12-2 victory over the Rockies. Sanchez gave up six hits and two runs in 5.2 innings. He has 24 starts in his career, producing a 3.24 ERA. Two of those outings came against the Phillies, when Sanchez threw poorly, giving up 11 runs and 13 hits in 9.1 innings of work.

Florida is 6-4 in its last 10 games. That number might be a little better if the team’s premier hitters were playing better. Hanley Ramirez (25 homers, .292 average) is hitting a pathetic .185 since the All-Star break, including just two homers in his last 17 games. Teammate Dan Uggla (26 home runs, .267 average) hasn’t been much better, hitting .172 with three homers over the same stretch.

This one is a no brainer. Sure, Sanchez has solid career numbers, but he’s green and has been knocked around by the Phillies before. Kendrick has a great offense backing him, not to mention he’s starting for one of the hotter teams in the league. Go with Philadelphia.

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