Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Live Streaming

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1:05 pm EDT Mon May 31, 2010

Just two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Phillies looked like they would cruise to a fourth straight NL East title. A prolonged slump by the two-time defending NL champions and a sudden surge by the Atlanta Braves has changed that. The Phillies hope to avoid falling out of first place for the first time in a month Monday afternoon when they open a three-game series against a Braves team trying to move into the top spot. Philadelphia had the largest division lead of any team May 17 with five-game advantages over Florida and Washington. New York was six games out, while last-place Atlanta was 6 1/2 back. The Braves have won 10 of 12 since to pull within one-half game of first place, a position they haven’t been in this late in the season since winning the East in 2005. While the Braves, a major league-best 15-4 since May 10, are enjoying their run, things might seem a bit more urgent for Philadelphia. With a 1-0 loss to Florida on Sunday, the Phillies were shut out for the fifth time in eight games. Philadelphia, batting .186 in that span, hasn’t homered in a season-high 54 innings and has six extra-base hits in the last six games.

Two of the team’s most feared hitters - Ryan Howard and Chase Utley - are in the middle of the slump. Howard is 4 for 27 with nine strikeouts and one RBI in the last eight games, while Utley is 4 for 30 with one RBI. The Phillies, who haven’t been in second place since May 1, hope to turn things around against scheduled starter Tommy Hanson. After being tagged for a career-worst eight runs in 1 2-3 innings of a 10-9 win over Cincinnati on May 20, Hanson gave up two runs, four hits and five walks in six innings of a 7-3 victory over Florida on Wednesday. The Braves have won seven of Hanson’s last nine starts, including his outing against the Phillies on April 20, when the right-hander gave up two runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 4-3, 10-inning victory. Philadelphia, 4-2 against the Braves this season, counters with Joe Blanton, who looks to bounce back from another shaky performance.