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PHI@BAL: Worley strikes out five over six innings

Though the three-game series has already been clinched by Philadelphia after a dramatic 7-6 win on Wednesday night, Thursday's finale between the Rockies and Phillies still carries high stakes for each team.

For the Phillies, there is the chance to sweep a three-game series for the first time this season and make some headway in the National League East, where they are eight games back and in last place. The Rockies, losers of four in a row, will try to stop the bleeding before they head to Texas for a weekend Interleague series against the Rangers.

"These are the kind of games that can raise your spirits, things like that," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "It's good that we came back at home, too. We need to start playing better. We need to have a big homestand."

Vance Worley will take the mound for Philadelphia, looking for some run support. He pitched well enough to win his last start, lowering his ERA to 2.80, but saw his record drop to 3-3 as the Phillies were unable to score in a 3-0 loss to Toronto. It was Worley's second consecutive quality start.

Jeff Francis (0-1) will start for the Rockies. He didn't earn the win last Friday against the Tigers -- an extra-innings affair in which the Rockies won 12-4 -- but the veteran left-hander pitched well enough to keep his club in the game.

Francis went 5 1/3 innings and though he gave up four earned runs, his work to get out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings was paramount.

The win over Detroit broke up an eight-game losing streak, but another slide has quickly followed. After taking four games from the Astros and winning two of three against the Dodgers earlier this month, it seemed that the Rockies were again contenders in the National League West. But they've lost five consecutive series -- including two sweeps.

Rockies: New plan, same results
To limit the innings pitched by a starting rotation that holds a Majors-worst ERA of 6.31, manager Jim Tracy moved starter Jeremy Guthrie (7.02 ERA) to the bullpen and placed his other four starters on pitch counts of 75.

"I felt we had to do something non-conventional," said Tracy, who announced the plan on Tuesday.

After two games, the results aren't much better. Josh Outman gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday. Against the Phillies on Wednesday, Alex White surrendered five runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Phillies: Valdes recalled
Manuel cited the need for an innings-eater out of the bullpen, as well as one who could pitch in high-leverage situations, as the reason behind recalling lefty Raul Valdes from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

"We could use a veteran arm," Manuel said. "The guys we've got, they're definitely going to be good pitchers. They've got talent. There's going to be some growing pains. There's going to be some inconsistencies. That's kind of natural until they get to the place where they can have command and use the outer- and inner-half of the plate."

Valdes is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA with the Phillies this season. He did not pitch on Wednesday night against the Rockies.

Worth noting
• Troy Tulowitzki will have surgery on his left groin on Thursday in Philadelphia, the club announced Wednesday. A timetable for his return has not been set, though the club should know more once the surgery, performed by Dr. William Meyers, is completed.

• In his first relief appearance on Wednesday, Guthrie pitched three scoreless innings and struck out two in the 7-6 loss to the Phillies.

• The Phillies have scored 228 runs since the end of April, best in the National League.

• Starting pitcher Joe Blanton has a 7.44 ERA over his last seven starts, six of which he has allowed more than five runs.

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