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Moyer tosses a gem as Phillies top Marlins

Apr 29, 2007 - 11:10 PM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- If Jamie Moyer could pitch against the Florida Marlins more often, he would probably keep pitching until he was 50. He might anyway.

Moyer turned in another dominant performance against the Marlins as the Philadelphia Phillies posted a 6-1 victory Sunday in the rubber game of a three-game set.

Chase Utley had an RBI single in the first inning to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. Moyer made the slim lead stand as he kept the Marlins off balance all game.

Moyer's performance came against a team that had piled up 32 hits in the first two games of the series and had at least one hit in every inning.

"They have a good hitting club, as we saw in the first two games of the series," Moyer said. "The most important thing was to try to keep them off base.

"Realizing it was a 1-0 game, trying to keep the momentum on our side and not hand it over to them was important."

The 44-year-old Moyer (3-1) is 5-0 in five career starts against Florida. He took a no-hitter into the seventh and allowed two hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings.

"I was pulling for him. I was sitting there kind of enjoying it," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's a professional. I've said that all along. You couldn't have a better teammate. You couldn't have a better guy on your team. You couldn't have a better guy on the mound."

Moyer struck out five and also had a pair of hits for his third career two-hit game and first since August 15, 1987, against the New York Mets.

The lefthander retired the first nine batters he faced before walking Hanley Ramirez on four pitches to begin the fourth inning. After Dan Uggla grounded into a force, Moyer was the beneficiary of a great catch by left fielder Jayson Werth on Miguel Cabrera's fly ball to left center. On the play, Uggla was doubled off first to end the inning.

"Just a ball in the gap," Werth said. "Went after it and stuck my glove out. There it was."

Moyer faced the minimum number of hitters until Cabrera, who had a career-best five hits in Florida's 11-5 win Saturday, broke up the no-hitter with a double to left field on a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the seventh.

"It was a fun game to pitch," Moyer said. "I was aware of (the no-hitter), but I wasn't really champing at the bit over it. If you get to the eighth, then I think it gets a little interesting."

By then, Moyer had a 3-0 lead to work with thanks to a two-run single by Werth in the sixth.

"(It) was the biggest situation for me so far this year," Werth said. "Just trying to make the most of opportunities when I get them. It was nice to get that hit in a big situation like that.

"We got some big hits for (Moyer). It ended up (that) we didn't really need to do too much. He threw great."

Moyer left with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth. Brett Myers came on and closed the door on the threat, striking out pinch hitters Miguel Olivo and Mike Jacobs to end the inning.

"I know basically what their weaknesses are," Myers said. "Usually as a starter, you didn't go right after guys' weaknesses. You went after your strengths for the first couple of times around. As a reliever, you just got to come in and know their weaknesses and go right after those.

"I like doing that. I like having the pressure of big situations."

Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs made it 6-0 with a bases-clearing double in the eighth for Philadelphia, which has won seven of nine.

Marlins starter Wes Obermueller (1-1) wasn't bad - he just wasn't as good as Moyer, dropping to 0-3 in five games against the Phillies. Obermueller allowed three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

"That's my goal every time I go out, to keep the team in the game," Obermueller said. "I started losing command of my fastball in the sixth and they got to me."

Florida scratched out a run in the ninth off of reliever Antonio Alfonseca to avoid the shutout.

Aaron Rowand went 0-for-3 and had his career-high 16-game hitting streak ended.