SPORTS BETTING

• World Series Game 5 Preview

  Posted on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, but with the way the New York Yankees have settled in and made themselves welcome at Citizens Bank Park the Philadelphia Phillies wish their home was a little more hostile.
   
  New York took at a 7-4 win in Game 4 on Sunday night, giving the Bronx Bombers their second road win of the series, a 3-1 series lead, and a shot at their first World Series title since winning three straight from 1998 to 2000. Oddsmakers have priced the Yankees as +132 road underdogs for Game 5 while the hometown Phillies are listed as -142 favorites.
   
  New York will send right-handed starter A.J. Burnett to the hill Monday. He's coming off his most impressive start of the postseason in Game 2 of the World Series. Burnett pitched seven innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits and striking out nine batters.
   
  That effort improved Burnett's postseason record to 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in four appearances. In Game 2, he got off to a rough start through the first three innings but avoided some jams and settled in for the remainder of his effort, picking up his fourth postseason quality start.
   
  With its season in the balance, Philadelphia hands the ball to left-handed hurler Cliff Lee, who has pitched near-perfect baseball in the playoffs. Lee hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings of postseason work, including a complete game against the Yankees in Game 1.
   
  Lee worked all nine frames, limiting New York to six hits with an unearned run while striking out 10 batters. He has recorded 20 Ks in his last two starts and has a strikeout-to-walk count of 30-to-3 in his four 2009 playoff starts. Since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline, Lee is 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA inside Citizens Banks Park.
   
  With those two arms on the mound, hits may be hard to come by Monday. The Phillies have struggled to find their rhythm at the plate this series, hitting just .216 in the Fall Classic. A lot of that has to do with poor table setting from the top of the batting order.
   
  Leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins has been mired in a nasty slump for most of the postseason. He's hitting just .200 against New York in the World Series, while No. 2 and No. 3 hitters Shane Victorino and Chase Utley are both swatting at .182. All three players have combined for just six hits and five strikeouts.
   
  Without the protection in the order, slugging first baseman and NLCS MVP Ryan Howard has been picked on by the Yankees pitching. Howard, who hit .333 with eight RBI versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, is batting just .176 with one RBI and 10 strikeouts in the World Series. He was 1-for-4 with a strikeout in Game 4 on Sunday.
   
  New York isn't doing that much better at the plate – hitting a combined .235 for the series. However, the American League champions have made the most of their opportunities. In the last two games, New York has scored five of their 15 total runs with two outs on the scoreboard.
   
  Outfielder Johnny Damon came up big in Game 4, recording three hits, one RBI, and two stolen bases in the ninth inning to secure the Yankees’ lead. For the series, Damon is batting .294 with seven total bases and three RBI.
   
  New York's most potent bat against the Phillies has been shortstop Derek Jeter, who is further cementing his spot in Yankees lore with a .412 batting average. Jeter went 2-for-4 with a walk Sunday night and is giving New York life at the top of the order.
   
  Another veteran of New York's three World Series titles, catcher Jorge Posada, is showing his bat can still get the job done 10 years later. He's batting .308 for the series with five RBI. Posada was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 4, but knocked in three runs including one on a sacrifice fly.
   
  Sunday's 7-4 final played over the 9-run total set by oddsmakers – the second straight over payday since the series moved to Philadelphia. So far, the World Series has a 2-2 over/under count. Books have set the Game 5 total at 8.5.