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Diamondbacks-Phillies Preview

Jul 29, 2010 - 3:44 AM By JUSTIN EINHORN STATS Senior Editor

Arizona (37-63) at Philadelphia (54-46), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The injuries keep piling up for the Philadelphia Phillies, but lately, so have the victories.

Philadelphia has won a season-best seven in a row and its resurgent offense now looks to spoil Joe Saunders' debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night.

Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz came off the Phillies' disabled list earlier this month, but Chase Utley is still on it and was joined there by Jamie Moyer on Saturday and Shane Victorino on Wednesday. Jimmy Rollins, who has already had two stints on the DL this season, has missed the last two games with a sore foot.

The injuries were taking a toll as recently as last week, when the Phillies had lost four straight and six of seven to fall seven games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East. However, they've bounced back to win seven straight - their longest winning streak since a 10-game run last July - to cut that deficit in half.

They've hit .324 and scored 41 runs in the last six games.

The Phillies (55-46) also are riding a 10-game win streak at home, their longest since winning 16 straight at Veterans Stadium in 1991.

Highly touted prospect Domonic Brown was called up from the minors Wednesday to replace Victorino in the outfield. He had a big major league debut with two hits and two RBIs as Philadelphia won 7-1.

"It feels great," said Brown, who hit .327 with 20 homers and 68 RBIs in 93 minor-league games this year. "I just want to go out there tomorrow and do it all again."

It seems likely he'll start again in right field and face another newcomer to the NL - Saunders.

Arizona (37-64) acquired the left-hander in the deal that sent ace Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. After totaling 33 wins the previous two years, Saunders has been inconsistent this season with a 6-10 record and a 4.62 ERA.

"They obviously think highly of me, so it will be a new challenge," he said.

Saunders is 0-2 in his last four starts. He lost his final outing in an Angels uniform but pitched well, going seven innings in a 1-0 loss at Texas on Friday.

Saunders is 6-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 11 starts versus the NL, including a win two years ago the only time he faced the Phillies.

Jayson Werth homered off Saunders in that game and is batting .469 in his last 10. He ended a 29-game homerless drought Tuesday before contributing three hits and three runs Wednesday, helping hand Arizona a sixth consecutive loss.

Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 4.60) hopes to extend that skid and further prove he should remain in the Phillies rotation. He was sent to the minors after giving up seven runs to St. Louis on July 19, but the demotion didn't last long because the Phillies needed to replace Moyer.

Kendrick returned Saturday to throw seven innings and beat Colorado, giving up one run in a 10-2 victory.

"I wanted to show them I belong here," Kendrick said. "I wanted to go out there and do my job. I know myself I belong here. I gotta keep having outings like that."

The right-hander has yielded at least four runs in 11 starts - he has a 0.95 ERA in his other eight. One of the poor outings came at Arizona on April 25, when he surrendered five runs in five innings of an 8-6 defeat.