Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - A pair of rookie hurlers tangle at Veterans Stadium this evening, when Damian Moss and the Atlanta Braves square off with Brett Myers and the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Moss was tagged with the loss in his last trip to the rubber after permitting five runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Florida Marlins. He walked four and struck out only one.

The defeat was the Australian lefthander's first since August 20 and halted his personal four-game winning streak. Still and all, Moss has surrendered a total of 12 runs on 17 hits in his last three starts, spanning 9 2/3 innings, to watch his earned run average climb from 3.06 to 3.52. This will be the 25- year-old hurler's 16th outing of the season on the road, where he is 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA.

In a pair of appearances -- one start -- versus Philadelphia this year, Moss is 1-0. He has worked seven total innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits.

Myers, meanwhile, faced the Braves for the first time in his career seven days ago and did not factor into the decision after surrendering four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in four frames. He walked two and whiffed four.

In his previous outing, the righthander defeated the Marlins with six innings of six-hit, one-run ball. Myers has won two of his last three decisions and is shooting for the first two-game winning streak of his young career. At home in 2002, the 22-year-old hurler is 2-3 with a 4.70 earned run average and one complete game in five attempts.

This will be Myers' first career outing at the Vet versus Atlanta.

The Phillies won the opener of this set by a 5-3 score. Pat Burrell and Travis Lee each collected two RBI, and Philadelphia overcame the early exit of hurler Vicente Padilla, as the Phillies won their fourth in a row to move into a tie with the Montreal Expos for second place in the NL East. Bobby Abreu finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI to extend his hit streak to 17 games.

Padilla suffered tightness in the back of his right shoulder and left after throwing just 11 pitches. Rookie Eric Junge came on for the All-Star hurler and held Atlanta to just one run over 4 2/3 innings in picking up his second career victory. Junge gave up six hits and one walk, while striking out three. Jose Mesa allowed a run in the ninth but held on to extend his team record to 45 saves this season.

Philadelphia, which went 86-76 in 2001, is one game over .500 (79-78) this season with five games left and could post consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1982 and 1983. If the club stays above .500, Larry Bowa will become the first Phillies manager to post consecutive winning campaigns since Dallas Green in 1980 and 1981 (strike-shortened) -- Bowa's final two seasons as a player in the City of Brotherly Love.

Tom Glavine absorbed the loss after yielding five runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Braves, who have lost three of their last four. Glavine allowed seven hits and a season-high six walks, while striking out just one.

Andruw Jones went 3-for-4 with one run batted in and Rafael Furcal homered for Atlanta, which is still three wins away from notching its first 100-win season since 1999, and fifth since 1993.

Closer John Smoltz remains one save away from setting the National League mark for most saves in one year. He is currently deadlocked with Randy Myers of the Cubs (1993) and Trevor Hoffman of the Padres (1998) for the record. In 1999, Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox set the major league mark with 57.

The Braves lead the season series by a 10-7 margin, including five victories in eight attempts in Philadelphia. Since the start of the 1999 campaign, they are 36-26 in this matchup.

Philadelphia is 40-39 on the year as the host, while Atlanta brings a 45-30 road mark into this contest.