Final
Phillies' offense comes alive in critical win vs. Marlins
Sep 30, 2006 - 3:17 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Phillies' sense of urgency returned Friday. But they found out later in the night that their playoff chances only got dimmer.Pat Burrell slugged a pair of home runs and Shane Victorino had a career-high five hits as the Phillies cruised to a 14-2 victory over the Florida Marlins to maintain their faint pulse in the postseason hunt.
Jimmy Rollins added two hits and three runs as Philadelphia (84-76) remained two games in back of Los Angeles (86-74) in the National League wild card race with just two games left.
However, the red-hot Dodgers rallied in the ninth for a 4-3 triumph over the San Francisco Giants later Friday night, meaning that the Phillies will be eliminated from playoff contention with one more loss or one more victory by the Dodgers.
"You would think (the Phillies) would come out weak and not ready to play, but that wasn't the case tonight," Marlins catcher Matt Treanor said. "These guys know what they have on the line. The energy level for them was up, and for us, it wasn't."
The Phillies managed a total of 12 runs in losing two of three to the last-place Washington Nationals this week. They surpassed that total by the fifth inning Friday despite not arriving in Miami until early Friday morning.
"It's never long when you win," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before heading back to the team hotel to watch the Dodgers-Giants game.
Burrell, who suddenly has rediscovered his swing in the final days of the season, gave Philadelphia a 4-1 lead with a three-run blast off Brian Moehler (7-11) in the third inning.
The maligned slugger completed his 14th career multi-homer game in the fifth, when he capped a three-run frame with a solo shot off Yusmeiro Petit. Burrell, who also doubled and scored in the second inning, finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and four runs.
"I have a good feel for (Burrell)," Manuel said. "When I sit him down for a day or two, it isn't benching him. It's to get him mentally prepared to go back in the game."
Making his 571st career start, Jamie Moyer (5-2) could not have asked for a much more relaxing outing. The 43-year-old lefthander pitched five comfortable innings, yielding one run and four hits en route to his third straight victory.
"Moyer went five innings and pitched well," Manuel said. "We kept adding to (the lead). ... Once we got the big lead, I wanted to get it over with and start thinking about (Saturday) ... Nobody can say we don't stay after people. We play."
Moyer, who could have flown early to Miami and gotten a good night's rest, opted instead to stay with the team through its series with the Nationals.
"I think the travel and the lack of sleep is overrated," Moyer said. "That's just my own personal opinion because when you get to this point in the season, you've got to go out and play. Everybody's tired, everybody's played 150 some-odd games.
"Every game means something, every at-bat means something, every pitch means something, every defensive play means something. This is why we're here. It's to get to the postseason."
Moyer also helped himself in the fourth, when he slapped a one-out single to left field. He eventually scored just his second run since 1988 on a single by Victorino, who also had three RBI, scored three runs and became the first Phillie with a five-hit game this season.
With a chance to become just the second player in franchise history - and first in 53 years - to record six hits in a single contest, Victorino popped out in the eighth.
"I'm not saying it was because I didn't sleep much," Victorino said of his career night. "I just wanted to come out and play. We were all tired, but we overcame and scored 14 runs. It's all about winning right now, and that's more important than any individual statistics."
Rookie of the Year candidate Hanley Ramirez had three hits for the Marlins, who have lost 12 of their last 16 games.
"When you're fighting like they are, you don't get tired," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said.
Florida also has lost 11 of 16 meetings with Philadelphia this season.
"They beat up on us all year," Girardi said. "They just did. I'm tired of it and I know our players are tired of it."
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