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Phils try to extend Marlins' June struggles with sweep

Jun 16, 2011 - 2:51 PM (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies just keep on rolling, while the Florida Marlins continue to find success hard to come by.

Now riding a season-high six-game winning streak, the National League-leading Phillies seek to maintain their recent dominance in this afternoon's battle with the badly-struggling Marlins from Citizens Bank Park.

Florida's month-long woes haven't gone away during the team's visit to the City of Brotherly Love, as the Marlins have dropped the first three tests of this four-game set and are now a woeful 1-14 for the month of June. The club has now lost six consecutive games after being dealt defeats in both ends of a doubleheader to the Phillies on Wednesday.

Philadelphia cruised to an 8-1 victory in yesterday's opener, then put forth a spirited late rally to come through with a 5-4, 10-inning triumph in the nightcap.

The Marlins were in position to end their winless drought in game two, carrying a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. However, closer Leo Nunez allowed back-to-back one-out singles to Carlos Ruiz and pinch-hitter Ross Gload to put two men on, and two batters later, Shane Victorino laced a base hit up the middle to plate both Ruiz and pinch-runner Michael Martinez and tie the score.

Florida's bullpen also faltered in the 10th, as the Phillies' Ryan Howard was hit by a pitch from Mike Dunn to start the bottom of the frame and Dominic Brown later drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive. Ruiz then singled to center to bring in Howard with the winning run.

"Good teams find a way [to win]. Not-so-good teams find a way to lose it," said Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison after the most recent loss. "I don't think we're a very good team right now. We have to figure it out."

Philadelphia broke open a close game in the opener by scoring six times in the bottom of the third, capped by Jimmy Rollins' three-run homer off rookie pitcher Elih Villanueva that staked the defending NL East champs to an 8-1 advantage. Wilson Valdez knocked in the first three runs of the inning with a bases-loaded triple to the wall in left center.

Rollins had an RBI single earlier in the game, while Valdez finished 3-for-4 on the afternoon.

The outburst was more than enough for Phils starter Kyle Kendrick, who held the Marlins to one run and five hits over a season-high seven innings to pick up the win.

"He sunk the ball, moved it around and used all his pitches," Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. "He did a heck of a job."

Villanueva, called up from Triple-A New Orleans prior to game one, lasted only three innings and was tagged for all eight runs while issuing five walks in his major league debut.

Florida has now lost 15 of its last 18 matchups with the Phillies, including six of eight bouts this season, and is 2-7 at Citizens Bank Park over that span.

The task doesn't figure to get any easier for the Marlins in today's finale, considering Philadelphia hurler Cliff Lee has prevailed in each of his last four home starts and has yielded one run or less in three of those outings.

Lee continued his Citizens Bank Park success by firing eight strong innings to defeat the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, with the coveted offseason free-agent pickup surrendering just one run and four hits in Philadelphia's 7-1 verdict. Five days earlier, he struck out 10 Los Angeles Dodgers over seven shutout frames in a 3-1 victory at home.

The 2008 AL Cy Young Award recipient has compiled a stellar 5-1 record and a 2.17 earned run average in eight Citizens Bank Park starts this season and is 8-3 with a 2.31 ERA over 13 career appearances at the venue.

In three career encounters with the Marlins, Lee is 1-0 with a 4.24 ERA. That includes a no-decision in Miami on May 11 in which the accomplished lefty was reached for three runs in 6 1/3 innings, but walked a season-high six.

Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez will hand the ball to Javier Vazquez this afternoon. Like his team, the veteran right-hander has had his problems as of late.

Vazquez was battered for seven runs and seven hits before exiting after only 3 2/3 innings in his last start, a home setback to Arizona on Saturday. He wasn't much better the previous time out, allowing six runs and eight hits over four ineffective innings to lose to Milwaukee on June 6.

A 15-game winner for Atlanta in 2009 who spent last year with the New York Yankees, Vazquez hasn't benefited from a return to the NL East. The 34-year old is 3-6 with a poor 7.09 ERA through 13 starts with the Marlins and has served up 11 home runs in 66 innings pitched.

One of those defeats came against the Phillies in May, when Vazquez was rocked for six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings in a game held at Sun Life Stadium. He does own a 12-9 lifetime record versus Philadelphia, however, along with a 4.44 ERA in 30 starts.