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Phillies-Braves Preview

Oct 2, 2010 - 5:52 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Philadelphia (95-64) at Atlanta (90-69), 4:10 p.m. EDT

The Atlanta Braves will have a pregame ceremony honoring retiring manager Bobby Cox. Clinching the NL wild card might be his ideal gift.

The Braves will again try to secure their first playoff appearance since 2005 when they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in the middle game of this season-ending series.

Atlanta (90-70) will honor Cox prior to Saturday's game. The ceremony is expected to feature some of his former players while his uniform number 6 is cut in the center-field grass at Turner Field.

Now, though, the 69-year-old manager is more concerned with earning one last trip to the postseason.

"We need to win (Saturday)," said Cox, who led the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles and five World Series appearances, winning the championship in 1995.

Atlanta leads San Diego by one game in the wild-card race with two to play. A Braves win coupled with a Padres loss to San Francisco would clinch the playoff berth for Atlanta.

The Braves faced the same situation Friday, but lost 11-5 to NL East champion Philadelphia (96-64).

"It's do or die, really," Atlanta left fielder Eric Hinske said.

Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.41 ERA) takes the mound for the most important start of his two-year career. The 24-year-old right-hander has limited opponents to one runs and seven hits in 13 2-3 innings over his last two starts, but didn't get a decision in either as he received one total run of support.

"We've blown like six of his games and we've scored him barely any runs," Cox told the Braves' official website. "He's a team guy. He understands."

Hanson is 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA in three starts against Philadelphia this season, including a 1-0 Atlanta loss Sept. 22 in which he saw six scoreless innings go to waste.

Division champions for the fourth straight year, the Phillies are looking to spoil Atlanta's playoff hopes.

"We're division rivals," said Friday's winning pitcher Kyle Kendrick. "We want to beat these guys and make it tough on them."

Jimmy Rollins hit a grand slam Friday in his third game since returning from a right hamstring injury.

"I felt pretty good," the shortstop said. "In a couple of days, the real fun starts. We want to go into the postseason with confidence."

Philadelphia continues to get healthier, with Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino expected back in the lineup Saturday.

Polanco, hitting a team-high .298, had a cortisone shot in his left elbow Wednesday after sitting out three games. Victorino - mired in a 3-for-28 slump - missed Friday's game to be with his wife for the birth of their son.

Rookie Vance Worley (1-1, 2.25) gets a spot start for Philadelphia in place of Roy Halladay, who is being rested ahead of Game 1 of the NL division series Wednesday.

Worley has made only one start, allowing two runs in five innings of a 7-1 loss to Florida on Sept. 6. The 23-year-old right-hander has yielded one hit in two scoreless innings of relief since. He has never faced Atlanta.