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Halladay, Johnson square off in South Beach

May 10, 2011 - 2:48 PM (Sports Network) - The last time that Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson clashed at Sun Life Stadium in May, Johnson was nearly unbeatable.

The problem was, Halladay was perfect.

The two aces meet once again this evening when the Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins get together for the second contest of a three-game series in Miami.

While the two starters have met since that May 29 encounter, none have been as historic as that night in Florida. While Johnson held the Phillies to just one unearned run over seven innings, even that couldn't keep pace with the red-hot Halladay. The Philadelphia right-hander struck out 11 batters and twirled 115 pitches in throwing the 20th perfect game in major league history and second in Phillies annals.

"It's awesome. To be on the road and have fans -- baseball fans -- that into the game, it's special," Halladay said nearly a year ago after his historic outing. "It makes it definitely more memorable. It's something you never think about. It's hard to explain. It's something you don't ever try and go out and do, but it's a great feeling."

Halladay's perfect game was part of a season in which he won 21 games, threw a no-hitter in the playoffs and captured the National League Cy Young Award. He hasn't been too bad so far in 2011 either, going 5-1 with a 2.19 earned run average in seven starts to tie for the NL lead in wins.

The 33-year-old won his third straight start on Thursday versus Washington, yielding two runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out 10 without a walk. He has gone at least seven innings in each outing of his win streak, posting a 1.46 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings.

Halladay also kept up his mastery of the NL East, improving to 18-1 with a 1.56 ERA against the division since last year. He is 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA in seven career starts versus the Marlins.

If anyone is up to the task of equaling Halladay, it is Johnson. The right- hander ranks second in baseball with a 1.68 ERA, but is coming off his first loss of the season. He gave up season highs of five runs, eight hits and four walks in a 6-3 loss at St. Louis on Thursday, falling to 3-1.

"It's part of the game. I came out pretty aggressive with decent pitches," said Johnson, who hasn't won since April 19 and didn't allow a homer run for a fifth straight start. "There was a broken bat and then there was a little blooper. You don't want that stuff to happen, but they were decent pitches so you can't get too upset."

The 27-year-old righty is 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA in 13 career starts against the Phillies, including 11 starts.

The Phillies avoided losing consecutive games for just a third time this season by winning last night's opener, 6-4. Ross Gload drove in two runs, Jimmy Rollins homered and Shane Victorino extended his hitting streak to 12 games as Philadelphia won for the eighth time in 11 games and upped the best record in baseball to 23-11.

Fresh off the disabled list, Joe Blanton gave up three runs on eight hits over five innings to pick up his first win of the season. Blanton had been sidelined with medial impingement in his right elbow and was helped by four double plays.

"The team played great behind me," Blanton said. "I was able to get some ground balls when I needed them. I think Jimmy [Rollins] and Pete [Orr] did a fantastic job turning them. I think Polly [Placido Polanco] got one, too. They really saved me."

Gaby Sanchez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and three RBI for the Marlins, who have lost four of five. Chris Coghlan also had three hits and drove in a run, but starter Javier Vazquez lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits to take the loss.

"I wish had an explanation for you guys, but I have nothing," Vazquez said. "It's just frustrating. I'm embarrassed with the way I'm throwing. That's all I got, man."

The Marlins did lose reliever Edward Mujica to a left knee strain as he had to be carted off the field after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

These two clubs split a weather-shortened two-game set in mid-April and the Phillies have now won 11 of the past 13 meetings overall. They are also 16-3 in Florida since the start of the 2009 season.