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Phillies win game but lose Myers

May 24, 2007 - 5:48 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Phillies won an extra-inning game for the first time this season but suffered what could be a costly loss in the process.

Abraham Nunez drove home Jimmy Rollins in the 10th inning and the Phillies posted an 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Philadelphia blew a four-run lead in the ninth but rallied to improve to 1-4 in extra-inning games this season. The win came at a high cost as closer Brett Myers left the game in the ninth with a strained right shoulder. He was examined by Florida's team doctor and more will be known Thursday.

"Things started snowballing," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Things started happening. I've seen a lot of crazy stuff in baseball (and) this ranks with the best of it."

Leading, 7-3, after scoring three runs in the top of the ninth, Philadelphia sent Myers out to get some work since he had not pitched since Sunday.

Myers allowed a pair of weak hits to start the ninth and Dan Uggla ripped a two-run triple down the right field line to make it 7-5. Uggla scored when Hanley Ramirez reached on a fielder's choice.

Ramirez scored to make it 7-7 when he slid under the tag of catcher Rob Barajas. The throw to the plate beat Ramirez easily but Barajas jumped up to apparently brace himself for a collision that never came.

"On a play like that, the ball beats him by 10 feet, and if he (plate umpire Tim Timmons) can't be 100 percent sure he's out I don't think you can call it. ... 100 percent conclusive? I don't think," Barajas said. "I caught the ball down low and I wasn't sure what he (Ramirez) was going to do. I didn't want to get down low and have him take a good shot at me and maybe knock the ball out. I wanted to make sure I was in a strong position."

"He definitely seemed like he was going to be out," Marlins first baseman Aaron Boone said of Ramirez.

Barajas was ejected along with Manuel for arguing the play. Two pitches later, Myers was out of the game.

Myers, who allowed four runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning, threw a wild pitch to Miguel Olivo and immediately grabbed the back of his right arm and headed toward the dugout.

"I felt fine throwing, it was just one pitch," Myers said. "It had nothing to do with what was going on. I just threw it and something didn't feel right. Right now, it's hard to tell because I have ice on it."

Clay Condrey (2-0) came on to relieve Myers and got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam when Todd Linden lined a shot right back at him. Condrey pitched a scoreless 10th to pick up the win.

"The weirdest inning of all-time," Philadelphia center fielder Aaron Rowand said of the bizarre ninth. "Something you'd see in the minors."

Nunez got the winning hit off of Kevin Gregg (0-2), who allowed one run and three hits in the 10th.

"I think it was a weird game right from the very beginning," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I'm proud of the guys. They came back and they kept battling and never gave up."

The Phillies broke open a 4-3 game with three runs in the ninth. Aaron Rowand, Wes Helms and Jayson Werth each had RBI hits in the inning for the Phillies (23-23), who have not been over .500 this season. Philadelphia regained the lead in the sixth without the benefit of a base hit. The Phillies worked four walks in the frame but could not come up with a key hit to break the game open.

Nunez opened the inning with a walk and moved to second on a groundout by Barajas. Garcia walked and that spelled the end of the night for Florida starter Byung-Hyun Kim. Taylor Tankersley relieved Kim and promptly walked pinch hitter Werth, to load the bases, and Shane Victorino to bring home Nunez and give Philadelphia a 4-3 lead.

There was still just one out after Victorino walked but Jimmy Rollins struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch that was well outside of the zone and Chase Utley flied out to left to end the inning.

Utley gave the Phillies a quick 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off of Kim with two outs in the first. Michael Bourn walked to lead off the inning, one of six issued by Kim. The Marlins got a run back in the bottom of the first on a home run by Ramirez. Ramirez added an RBI single in the third to tie the game, 2-2.

Barajas put the Phillies back on top, 3-2, in the fourth with an RBI, but Uggla launched a solo shot to left in the fifth to forge a 3-3 tie.

None of that mattered down the stretch, though. With a wacky ninth inning setting the stage for an improbable Phillies win in the tenth.

"It was a mess," Barajas said. "The first two hits were balls that guys hit off their knuckles. They were able to bloop them over the third baseman and after that, the way the inning progressed I've never seen anything like that.

"(To come back) That was awesome. We could have very easily put our heads down and be angry that we gave up a four-run lead in the ninth, but to come out and take the game and score a run in the 10th inning was huge. Now. we can look back and laugh at some of these plays."