Atlanta @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2011 ) Atlanta 0, Philadelphia 9

THE STORY: Charlie Manuel often smiles when Vance Worley takes the mound. Although the Philadelphia Phillies' affable manager doesn't play favorites among the studs in his pitching rotation, it's hard to argue with the results. After all, the last 13 times that Worley has taken the mound, the Phillies have won. Manuel would love to see the streak extend to 14 on Tuesday when Philadelphia hosts the National League East rival Atlanta Braves for the second contest of their three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies cruised to a 9-0 triumph in the series opener on Monday to extend their lead in the division to 8 1/2 games.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSS (Atlanta), CSN (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Tim Hudson (14-8, 3.05 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vance Worley (10-1, 2.85 ERA)

As the summer heated up, so did Hudson. The 36-year-old hurler rebounded from a pedestrian start to the season to win nine of his last 11 decisions. Hudson yielded just one run on five hits in six innings last Thursday against the Washington Nationals. He has split 14 career decisions against the Phillies.

Staked to a 6-0 lead, Worley was cruising in his last outing before surrendering a three-run homer in his final inning of work. The 23-year-old struck out seven to secure his eighth win in a row with a 6-4 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. Worley has faced the Braves on one occasion this season, pitching one scoreless inning of relief on May 13.

ABOUT THE BRAVES (82-58): Although Monday's loss was disheartening, Atlanta is cushioned by the fact that it has an 8 1/2-game lead in the race for the wild card. Regardless, the Braves have their own pressing issues. For one, Brian McCann - who had one of his team's five hits on Monday - is batting just .156 since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 14. Secondly, Chipper Jones is being plagued by the flu and missed Monday's contest as a result. There is no immediate word if the veteran will play in either Tuesday's or Wednesday's game against the Phillies. Rookie Freddie Freeman returned after missing one contest to a sore left quad to record a 1-for-3 effort. Dan Uggla also went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to nine games. He's 1-for-3 in his career versus Worley.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (89-48): Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is eligible to return from the disabled list on Tuesday - although even he admitted that it doesn't seem likely. While Rollins is likely to stay put, burly righthander Joe Blanton was activated from the 60-day disabled list prior to Monday's series opener. Blanton, who had been sidelined for 3 1/2 months with an elbow injury, will pitch out of the bullpen. Second baseman Chase Utley is showing signs of breaking out of his funk. Mired in a 2-for-28 slump - including an 0-for-7 effort in Sunday's 14-inning loss the Florida Marlins - Utley went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored on Monday. The five-time All-Star has struggled against Hudson, collecting just 10 hits in 45 career at-bats. Ryan Howard also had two hits on Monday - including a towering solo shot in the seventh inning - while also making a sparkling catch in foul territory.

FINAL PITCH: "This is September and we’re trying to finish up strong. You can’t let up on them. We’ve been on the other side where the Mets had a big lead (in September) and we came back." - Howard.