Final
Marlins, Phillies set to play two
Jun 15, 2011 - 2:51 PMVideo
Not even the return of All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez could stop Florida's recent struggles in last night's 9-1 loss to the NL East-leading Phillies in the opener of a four-game set. Ramirez went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and was in action for the first time since May 29 because of a strained lower back. He was batting only .210 with four homers and 17 RBI before landing on the disabled list and did little to improve those numbers.
Ramirez is not expected to start the first game of this doubleheader, but will most likely be back in the lineup in the nightcap.
Chris Volstad started for the Marlins and was hammered for eight runs and 10 hits, including four home runs, over 5 2/3 innings to absorb his seventh loss of the season (2-7).
"Chris was elevating his pitches. With that lineup, he's going to get hurt," said Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez after his club's fourth straight defeat. "We had to keep him out there for a while because of the doubleheader tomorrow and we overused the bullpen yesterday. He took one for the team."
Gaby Sanchez drove in the lone run for the Marlins, who were coming off a 1-10 homestand and fell to 1-12 in June.
Florida will have a fresh face on the hill in the first game with Elih Villanueva set to take the hill in his major league debut. Villanueva had his contract selected from Triple-A New Orleans in a move that transferred ace Josh Johnson to the 60-day disabled list. Villanueva, a right-hander, went 4-5 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 starts at New Orleans.
Anibal Sanchez gets the nod in the nightcap and even asked Rodriguez if he could square off with Phillies ace Roy Halladay. Rodriguez granted his wish.
"I wanted it that way, and Anibal Sanchez asked for that. Definitely I'd like for Anibal to face Halladay, too," Rodriguez said. "He wants to face Halladay. He was asking four or five days ago if we knew if Halladay was going to pitch that game. He wanted to pitch in that game. He is up for the challenge."
Sanchez has won his last six decisions and is 6-1 with a 3.06 earned run average in 13 starts this season. He last pitched in Friday's 6-4 win over Arizona and allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks over 6 2/3 innings. He didn't record a decision in a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia on April 17 and was reached for two runs over six innings.
The right-hander is only 3-7 with a 5.65 ERA in 12 career starts against the Phillies. Sanchez hasn't come out on top too often at Citizens Bank Park as evidenced by his 1-5 record and 7.85 ERA in eight starts there.
Philadelphia maintained the best record in baseball at 41-26 thanks to surging left-hander Cole Hamels, who tied Halladay for the NL lead in wins with his ninth of the season (9-2). Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, gave up a run in the first inning and settled down to go seven frames, yielding just that run and three hits with six K's and one walk. He left in the eighth inning with tightness in his back, but the problem doesn't appear to be serious.
"It just kind of tightened up on me," Hamels said on the club's site. "It got a lot colder and my body temperature kind of dropped. Everything was just kind of tightening up. Obviously, I don't think it's that smart to go out and try to compete and not be able to compete at my best. And obviously I don't want to hurt anything, so it's just playing smart."
Hamels is 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in his last 13 starts and retired 17 consecutive batters at one point last night. He was backed by five home runs -- two from Domonic Brown -- while Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each clubbed two-run shots for the Phillies, who got three hits from Shane Victorino and have won seven of their last nine games. Philadelphia is 3 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East standings and 6-2 on an 11-game homestand.
Phillies starting pitchers have recorded a 20-7 record at home this season and the ballclub hopes Kyle Kendrick can continue that hot stretch when he takes the mound this afternoon. Kendrick has spent most of his time in the bullpen this season and is 3-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 17 games (4 starts). He was last in action in a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs last Thursday and allowed two hits over three scoreless innings. The start was cut short because of a rain delay.
Kendrick was hammered the previous time out on June 4 in a 6-3 setback against Pittsburgh and permitted four runs and eight hits in five innings. The righty has pitched well in his career against the Marlins, going 5-2 with a lofty 5.36 ERA in 13 games, eight of which have been starts.
Halladay, meanwhile, will try for a major league-leading 10th win of the season when he draws the assignment tonight. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has won three straight starts and is 4-0 in his last five outings -- all Phillies wins -- since a personal two-game losing streak. He threw seven scoreless innings and allowed six hits with nine K's in Friday's 7-5 win over the Cubs, running his 2011 record to 9-3 in 14 starts and lowering his earned run average to 2.39.
The right-hander lost to the Marlins back on May 10 in a 2-1 defeat in south Florida, as he yielded two runs -- one earned -- in eight innings. For his career, Halladay sports a 4-3 record and a 2.13 ERA over eight starts in this series.
The Phillies have won four of six matchups with Florida this season and are 17-7 in the previous 24 meetings between the ballclubs. The two NL East foes are playing a day-night doubleheader due to a rainout on April 16.
- FLORIDA: 1
PHILADELPHIA: 8
Final
Jun 15 3:47 PM - Jimmy Rollins two-out, three-run Home Run (6) to right scored Wilson Valdez and Dane Sardinha. Shane Victorino due up.
Marlins 1, Phillies 8 Bot 3, 2 OutsJun 15 2:16 PM - Wilson Valdez tripled to left center scored Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco. Runner on third with one out and Dane Sardinha due up.
Marlins 1, Phillies 5 Bot 3, 1 OutJun 15 2:10 PM - Ryan Howard doubled to right scored Shane Victorino. Runner on second with two outs and Domonic Brown due up.
Marlins 1, Phillies 1 Bot 1, 2 OutsJun 15 1:25 PM - Logan Morrison two-out, solo Home Run (9) to right. Gaby Sanchez due up.
Marlins 1, Phillies 0 Top 1, 2 OutsJun 15 1:12 PM - FLORIDA: 0
PHILADELPHIA: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Jun 15 1:07 PM
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