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Indians-Phillies Preview

Jun 24, 2010 - 4:58 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Cleveland (26-43) at Philadelphia (36-32), 1:05 p.m. EDT

Jimmy Rollins and the two-time defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies are starting to regain their swagger.

Coming off a dramatic victory, Rollins and the host Phillies go for their first series sweep in nearly six weeks when they face the slumping Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

Since going 5-14 from May 22-June 12, Philadelphia (37-32) has won six of nine. A 7-6 victory over the Indians on Wednesday was one of the Phillies' most thrilling, as Rollins hit his first game-ending homer with a two-run shot in the ninth off Kerry Wood.

Rollins, playing in just his 14th game because of a calf injury, had been 0 for 8 since returning from his second stint on the disabled list.

"That's unreal," manager Charlie Manuel told the Phillies' official website. "He's sitting there the last two nights, he hasn't had a hit yet. All of a sudden he's up in the big situation where he can win the game and he pops one out. That's definitely a good story."

Jayson Werth also homered for the Phillies, who haven't swept since taking three games in Milwaukee from May 14-16.

Werth has been a big part of Philadelphia's turnaround, batting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs in the last nine games after hitting .155 with a homer and four RBIs in his previous 17.

While the Phillies are getting their season back on track, the Indians (26-44), owners of the AL's second-worst record, have lost four straight and eight of nine.

Cleveland got a pair of two-run homers from Shin-Soo Choo and led four times Wednesday, but Wood was unable to close it out.

"It's pretty deflating," manager Manny Acta said. "Even though we didn't execute the way we wanted offensively, we still went into the (bottom of) the ninth with the lead and the bottom of the order up. That's an ideal situation."

Acta will give the ball to Fausto Carmona, who has been one of the few bright spots for Cleveland, in the finale.

After throwing a three-hitter in a 7-1 win over Washington on June 12, Carmona (6-5, 3.31 ERA) pitched two-hit ball through six innings against Pittsburgh on Friday. He did not record an out in the seventh and was lifted after allowing three runs and five hits, but earned a 4-3 win.

Carmona beat his second straight NL opponent. The right-hander, who hasn't won three consecutive starts since Aug. 22-Sept. 2, 2008, is 3-3 with a 2.98 ERA in seven career interleague starts.

This will be Carmona's first appearance against the Phillies, who will counter with Joe Blanton (2-5, 6.96).

After going 0-3 with a 10.18 ERA in his previous four starts, Blanton threw five innings of no-hit ball against Minnesota on Friday before running into trouble in the sixth. The right-hander ended up allowing three runs in six innings of a 9-5 win, his first since May 15.

"You need to have everything down in the zone to work," he said. "I worked real hard to get back down. It seemed like it helped a lot."

Blanton, who has not faced the Indians since 2008, is 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA in eight starts against them.