Tue Jul 1 11:35:33 2008

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Faltering Phils re-start NL slate with trip to Atlanta

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(Sports Network) - The slumping Philadelphia Phillies can breathe a sigh of relief now that interleague play is over. Tonight they face the familiar National League East-rival Atlanta Braves in the first of three straight games at Turner Field.

Philadelphia finished with an abysmal 4-11 record against the American League this season and dropped two of three games against Texas at Rangers Ballpark over the weekend. In Sunday's 5-1 loss in the series finale, Ryan Howard drove in the lone Phillies run and Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley each finished with a double for the NL East leaders.

Phillies starter Jamie Moyer suffered his third straight loss, yielding three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Philadelphia is just 2-4 on a nine-game road trip and 22-21 away from Citizens Bank Park this season.

The Phillies have lost 11 of their last 14 games to watch their division lead shrink to just a half-game over the Florida Marlins. The New York Mets are just 3 1/2 games off the pace, while the Braves are four games behind.

Kyle Kendrick has been the current ace of the Phillies' staff and will take the ball on Tuesday night. The Phillies are 11-2 in Kendrick's last 13 starts, while the right-hander has won six of his seven most recent decisions to improve to 7-3 with a 4.59 ERA in 16 starts this season.

Kendrick last toed the rubber on Wednesday at Oakland, when he limited the A's to just four hits over eight shutout innings in a 4-0 victory. He is now 4-1 in nine road outings this season, and 2-0 with a 4.03 earned run average through four career starts against Atlanta. Kendrick is 1-0 in two starts versus the Braves in 2008.

Atlanta has dropped two straight, four of six and six of its last 10 games, including Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a three- game interleague series at Rogers Centre. Toronto's Alex Rios drove in Marco Scutaro with the game's lone run on a double in the sixth inning off Braves starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes, who suffered the loss despite hurling seven solid frames of one-run ball.

Gregor Blanco had two hits for the Braves, who will open a six-game homestand on Tuesday and own a 28-14 mark at Turner Field this season.

Taking the hill for Atlanta this evening will be rookie Charlie Morton, who is 1-1 with a 4.24 earned run average in three starts. Morton, who was recalled from Triple-A Richmond in June, was beaten by Milwaukee his last time out on June 24. He permitted four runs, two of which were earned, and seven hits in six innings of a 4-3 defeat.

The right-hander, a third-round draft choice by Atlanta in 2002, has never faced the Phillies.

Philadelphia has won five of the six meetings with the Braves this season, including a three-game sweep at Turner Field from June 6-8. Ironically, that was the last time the Phillies won a series.