Braves/Phillies Open Series

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Atlanta Braves (67-60) at Philadelphia Phillies (73-52)
Tommy Hanson (9-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. Pedro Martinez (2-0, 5.14 ERA)

Coming off a terrible series against the Pirates, the Phillies look to rebound against the Atlanta Braves, who sit seven games behind the Phillies in the National League East. Tonight is 70's night at The Bank and the Phillies would like to get a win, something they did 101 times during the 1977 regular season.

Pedro Martinez will start against the rookie phenom, Tommy Hanson. Martinez is coming off a win in which he allowed four runs in six innings. Martinez started off slowly, but improved as the game went on. Hanson will be one of J.A Happ's competitors for the 2009 Rookie of the Year campaign. He is 9-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Opponents are hitting .239 against him. He has allowed only 8 home runs, but he does average more air outs than ground outs. It will be interesting to see how he fares at Citizens Bank Park.

The offense is struggling for the Phillies, and it won't be easy to turn it around against the tough pitchers they will be facing during the series. Maybe a homecoming is exactly what they need to get the offense back on track.

Call of the Day: Jimmy Rollins extends his hitting streak.

"Ground ball, base hit. Jimmy Rollins has hit safely in 32 consecutive
games. An all time Phillies record."