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Jul 5, 2010 - 1:24 AM By MATT BROWN STATS Editor

Atlanta (48-33) at Philadelphia (42-37), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Proud three-time reigning NL East champions, the Philadelphia Phillies may need to snap out of their slump this week if they are to mount a serious title defense.

They'll have the right pitcher on the mound Monday night to get them started.

Roy Halladay will take the ball for Philadelphia to open a seven-game homestand against division leaders and a three-game set with the NL East rival Atlanta Braves.

Plagued by injuries and offensive inconsistency, the Phillies (42-38) have gone 16-23 since May 22 - a stretch which has turned a 4 1/2-game lead over the Braves (48-34) into a five-game deficit. They concluded a 4-6 road trip by dropping three of four to woeful Pittsburgh, culminating in a blown three-run lead Sunday en route to an 8-5 defeat.

Making matters tougher, seven Philadelphia players are currently injured including All-Star second baseman Chase Utley, who had surgery Thursday to replace a torn ligament in his left thumb and is expected to miss eight weeks.

The schedule isn't giving the Phillies any relief, either, as they now must make a stand against the Braves followed by four games with NL Central-leading Cincinnati heading into the All-Star break.

"Any series we play against the Braves is bigger and any series we play right now is big, whether it's a first-division team or a second-division team," manager Charlie Manuel said. "You start losing some games, it becomes more important."

One of three Philadelphia All-Stars along with Utley and Ryan Howard, Halladay (9-7, 2.42 ERA) has three shutouts in his first season with the Phillies, one of which came at Atlanta's expense. The right-hander threw a five-hitter while walking one and striking out seven in a 2-0 victory April 21 at Turner Field, improving to 2-0 with a 0.46 ERA in three career appearances against the Braves. He also threw seven scoreless innings at Atlanta on May 22, 2009, while with Toronto.

However, Halladay is now trying to bounce back from a performance below his usual standards. He gave up four runs and a career-high 13 hits in eight innings of Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Cincinnati.

Probable Atlanta starter Derek Lowe (9-6, 4.53) faced Halladay twice earlier in their careers as AL East rivals when Lowe pitched for Boston. Halladay won both matchups.

Lowe is also trying to right himself after a subpar outing. He yielded four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 7-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday. The sinkerballer had limited opponents to three runs or fewer in eight of his previous nine starts. He is 7-3 with a 3.26 ERA lifetime versus Philadelphia.

Like the Phillies, the final week of the season's first half looms large for the Braves, who lead the Mets by two games atop the East and visit second-place New York for three games following this series. Atlanta won all three series of its just-completed homestand, but ended it with a 3-2 loss to Florida on Sunday.

Catcher Brian McCann, one of Atlanta's five All-Stars - tying St. Louis for most in the NL - homered to provide half the Braves' offense Sunday. The All-Star selection - he was selected by the players - is the fifth for McCann in his five major league seasons.

"He deserves it," manager Bobby Cox told the Braves' official website. "He puts up stats and he plays the game in such a professional manner. The players love him."

McCann is 5 for 25 with no extra-base hits and one RBI this season against Philadelphia.