Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Yankees | Preview, Odds, Free Pick | Sportsbookbuzz.com

Philadelphia Phillies (33-30) at New York Yankees (41-24)
7:05 PM EST MLBN
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Starting Pitchers
PHI: K. Kendrick (3-2, 4.80)
NYY: A. Pettitte (8-1, 2.46)

Jamie Moyer tossed eight solid innings, and with a little help from a revitalized Phillies offense, became the oldest pitcher at 47 years of age to beat the Yankees, 6-3 in game two of a three game set on Wednesday in the Bronx.

The win ties the series at one game apiece and snaps the Phillies four game losing streak in the Big Apple since being shut out three games straight by the Mets and then losing to the Yankees 8-3 in game one on Tuesday. The win also allowed Philadelphia to gain a half game on the division leading Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, the loss snapped the Yankees, nine game home streak as they moved into a tie atop the AL East with Tampa Bay, who has the best record in baseball at 40-23.

Offensively, New York has scored 11 runs in each of their two previous games, while the Phillies six runs in game two is the most the team has scored since back on June 8. This lack of offense has cost them in the National League standings. For just the third time in their last 23 games, the Phillies scored first, and the result was a victory, just their ninth in the last 26 games. Shane Victorino hit a bases-clearing triple in the second inning, and Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard hit back-to-back homers to lead off the fourth.

Second baseman Chase Utley has quietly avoided talking about the month-long slump that has seen his batting average plummet from .314 to .260 since May 12. He is batting .196 (20-for-102) in the last 28 games He went 1-for-4 against the Yankees Wednesday night.

Kyle Kendrick will take the mound for the Phillies in the series finale against the veteran hurler Andy Pettitte. It’s a difficult assignment for the inconsistent Kendrick, who has never faced the Yankees in his major league career. If there is a silver lining for Kendrick, it’s that he has actually fared better this season against teams with .500 records or better, limiting hitters to a .747 OPS, than he has against teams with losing records. Pettitte on the other hand is off to his best start in his career. He has not been overpowering this season, but has a strikeout to walk ratio of 55-to-22. Pettitte is 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA in seven career starts against Philadelphia.

The Yankees offense got a boost when Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankees’ lineup after missing four games because of tendinitis in his right hip. Hw was 1-for-4 in Wednesday’s contest. Robinson Cano has hit safely in nine straight games and 26 of his last 28, including his team-leading 14th home run of the season, a solo shot against Phillies Jamie Moyer on Wednesday.

The odds makers have the Yankees as 1-1/2 favorites with a run total of 10.

On a side note, Pettitte earned his 200th win and reached 3,000 career innings with the Yankees on Friday, allowing three runs, two earned runs, off four hits in a 4-3 win over the Astros.

This is a tough one to call. With Pettitte’s current pitching prowess it’s hard to bet against the Yanks. Even with the Philly bats warming up in game two, I like New York and the OVER in this one.

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