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Marlins nip Phils in rubber game

Jul 20, 2008 - 10:33 PM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Jorge Cantu gave the Florida Marlins another walk-off win.

Cantu singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the Marlins to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

Alfredo Amezaga led off the inning with a single and, after Hanley Ramirez walked, Jeremy Hermida attempted to sacrifice. Hermida reached when Clay Condrey fielded the bunt and looked to third before throwing late to first.

Cantu then gave the Marlins their ninth walk-off win, driving a ball off the left field wall.

Florida (52-46) is one-half game back of Philadelphia and the New York Mets in the tight National League East.

"You got out there expecting to win. That's what it's all about. We're all right there. It's so much fun. I've never been in something like this," Cantu said.

Hermida was responsible for the Marlins first hit when he led off the bottom of the fourth inning with his 12th homer to pull Florida within 2-1.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels carried that lead into the eighth before Cody Ross opened the frame with his 16th homer, tying the contest at 2-2.

"He (Cole Hamels) gave me a pitch out over the plate and I just put a good swing on it and luckily it went over the fence," Ross said. "It was a big run for us."

Hamels left after the eighth, allowing two runs and four hits. The lefthander, who threw 70 of 96 pitches for strikes, walked two and struck out seven.

"It's pretty much a waste of an outing if you don't win," Hamels said. "Just battling and not being able to have a victory, as a team, it's disappointing, especially when we need victories."

In the seventh, the Phillies squandered a chance to increase the lead when slugger Ryan Howard grounded out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Howard opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the first and added an RBI double in the third, giving the Phillies a 2-0 advantage. He leads the National League with 87 RBI.

Marlins starter Josh Johnson, who was making his first home appearance of the season, settled down and allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. The righthander walked three and struck out four.

After Johnson departed, five relievers combined to give up one hit in 4 1/3 innings.

In the top of the 11th, the Doug Waechter struck out Chris Coste with runners on second and third to end the inning.

"We just got to do a better job, plain and simple," Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino said. "There's no making excuses about what we've done in the past. We've got to do the little things because little things lead to big things in the end."