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(Sports Network) – Roy Oswalt’s Phillies debut nearly a week ago was certainly a forgettable one. He’ll get a chance at redemption when Philadelphia aims for a three-game sweep of the hosting Florida Marlins tonight at Sun Life Stadium.
Acquired a week ago from the Houston Astros for three players, Oswalt made his first start with his new club on Friday and took the loss — his MLB-leading 13th of the season and third in a row overall — after allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits over six innings against Washington.
“I came out early a little amped up, holding the ball a little tight,” said Oswalt, who is 6-13 with a 3.53 earned run average on the season. “I didn’t really start feeling better until the last two innings.”
The 32-year-old righty is 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA in four road starts and 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 12 career outings against Florida.
He’ll look to extend a solid pitching run for the Phillies so far in this series. Roy Halladay won Tuesday’s opener thanks to seven innings of one-run ball and Kyle Kendrick held the Marlins to just a pair of runs on eight hits over six frames of a 7-2 triumph last night.
Kendrick appeared unfazed by the 58-minute rain delay to start the game, while Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez struggled and gave up four runs over 4 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.
“I was warmed up and ready, and it started raining,” Sanchez said. “So I waited for an hour. That made me a little bit tired before the game.”
Domonic Brown drove in three runs for the Phils and also threw out a runner at the plate in the third inning with his team up just a run. Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez combined to notch four hits and four runs scored, while Ibanez also drove in two runs.
“The defense has been good for me all year,” Kendrick said.
Philadelphia has won three straight and 11 of its last 13 to move 11 games over .500 (59-48) and remain two games back of first-place Atlanta in the National League East, while three consecutive setbacks and losses in five of eight have dropped Florida a game under .500 at 53-54.
Gaby Sanchez had four hits for the Marlins in last night’s loss, while Mike Stanton clubbed a solo homer.
Chris Volstad aims to make it two straight wins tonight for Florida. He snapped a five-start winless drought with a win over San Diego on Friday.
Volstad had been 0-2 with a 6.31 ERA over his drought before limiting the Padres to a pair of runs, seven hits and three walks over five innings of his first victory since June 13. The 23-year-old improved to 5-8 with a 4.71 ERA on the season.
Volstad, a right-hander, gave up six runs — five earned — on eight hits over four innings when he last faced the Phillies, back on June 8 in Philadelphia. He’s 2-3 with a 4.09 ERA lifetime against the club.
He might see a fresh face tonight in Philadelphia’s lineup, as Mike Sweeney could make his debut after being acquired from Seattle on Wednesday for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The 37-year-old is a former five-time AL All-Star and was hitting .263 with six homers and 18 RBI in 30 games this year. His season includes a pair of disabled list stints due to back issues, and he is expected to see the bulk of duty at first base while Ryan Howard is out.
These two clubs entered this series having split 26 total meetings since 2009. The Phillies won two of three in Florida in late May and have won 13 of the last 16 meetings at Sun Life Stadium, including a pair of three-game sweeps last season.
The Phillies traded pretty much nothing for Mariner's first baseman Mike Sweeney yesterday and the 36 year old is likely to make his debut tonight. Sweeney won't start however, as Charlie Manuel announced that Ross Gload will start at first base.
At 36 he's not the player that made the all star game five times anymore... but he's still better than Cody Ransom. All he's got to do is give the Phils two good weeks.
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Domonic Brown drove in three runs and Kyle Kendrick pitched six effective frames, as Philadelphia surged past Florida, 7-2, in the second installment of a three-game set at Sun Life Stadium.
Despite a 58-minute rain delay the Phillies used solid pitching and timely hitting to win their third straight game and move to 11 games over .500 for the first time since May 21.
Kendrick (7-4) gave up two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and the bullpen blanked Florida over the final three frames. Placido Polanco went 2- for-4 with two runs scored and Raul Ibanez also had two hits and two runs scored and added two RBI.
Anibal Sanchez (8-7) took the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over 4 1/3 frames. Gaby Sanchez went 4- for-4 with an RBI and Mike Stanton clubbed a solo home run for Florida, which has lost three straight.
The Phillies lit up the scoreboard with a pair of runs in their first at-bat, starting with Polanco's one-out single. Ibanez then walked and Ross Gload came through with a run-scoring, two-out single to center. Brown followed with a soft single into left-center field, plating Ibanez for the 2-0 game.
Florida put two runners on with one out in the first, but Kendrick escaped, and again he navigated through the third inning with the help of Brown. Dan Uggla singled with two outs to right, but Brown threw a one-hop laser to Carlos Ruiz to nab Sanchez by three steps at the plate.
In-between the Marlins used the long ball to cut the deficit in half, as Stanton crushed a low offering from Kendrick into the left-center field seats in the second frame.
Each team took its turn at scoring opportunities in the fifth. Jimmy Rollins blooped a single to center then Polanco singled on a grounder to left off the glove of Hanley Ramirez at short. Ibanez followed with a run-scoring base hit to right, and after a Jayson Werth strike out and Gload intentional walk, Brown laced a sacrifice fly to right off Taylor Tankersley for a 4-1 game.
Florida answered back in the home half as three straight singles by Ramirez, Logan Morrison and Sanchez plated a run. It could have been more but Rollins speared Uggla's liner to close out the frame with two runners in scoring position.
The Phillies plated an insurance tally in the sixth on Ibanez's sacrifice fly to right.
Florida put its first two runners on base with a double and walk in the eighth, but Ryan Madson bared down, striking out the last two batters to end the threat.
Philadelphia added two more runs in the ninth, the first when Uggla's flip sailed wide of Ramirez on a hard grounder by Brown and the second on Ruiz's RBI single.
Game Notes
Rollins finished 2-for-4...Kendrick has a 2-0 mark with a 1.86 earned run average in his last three starts...Sanchez fell to 3-6 lifetime versus the Phillies...The Phillies have won 13 of their last 16 meetings at Sun Life Stadium.
(Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Phillies were still able to slug their way to a series-opening victory over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday despite placing slugger Ryan Howard on the disabled list prior to the contest.
Florida hopes Philadelphia’s luck runs out this evening at Sun Life Stadium, where Anibal Sanchez takes the hill for the first time since throwing a gem his last time out.
Sanchez gets the call for game two of this three-game series nearly a week after throwing the second shutout of his career in San Francisco last Thursday. The right-hander held the Giants to just one hit and a walk in the 5-0 victory, his first blanking since a no-hitter on Sept. 6, 2006 against the Diamondbacks.
“Everything was working for [Sanchez],” said Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez. “He had command of all his pitches, so we knew something good was going to happen [Thursday].”
Sanchez allowed just a bloop single in the fifth inning and also struck out eight batters while improving to 8-6 with a 3.33 earned run average this season.
The 26-year-old is 3-5 with a 4.93 ERA in nine career starts versus the Phillies, including 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in two outings this year. He hosted the club on May 30 and got the win with 6 2/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball.
Sanchez will try to make pitching the highlight of this series for a second straight night. In Tuesday’s opener, Roy Halladay took the mound at Sun Life Stadium for the first time since his perfect game on May 29, and though his bid for another shot at perfection ended with a second-inning homer by Dan Uggla, he still threw seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball in a 6-1 Philadelphia victory.
“He just comes at you and throws strikes,” said Marlins’ rookie outfielder Logan Morrison about Halladay. “He splits the plate with a two-seamer and a cutter. With those two pitches alone and the command that he has, it’s hard to tell what’s coming next. You can’t think ’he’s gonna throw a two-seamer here’ or ’he’s gonna throw a cutter here’ because if you guess wrong, he’s gonna blow you up.”
The Phillies got back-to-back homers from Carlos Ruiz and Ben Francisco in the second inning to pace the offense. Ruiz ended with four hits and Francisco had three in Philadelphia’s 10th victory in its last 12 games, which has moved the club to within two games of first-place Atlanta in the National League East.
The Phils won despite Howard (left ankle sprain) joining Chase Utley (right thumb) and Shane Victorino (left abdominal strain) on the DL prior to the game.
That didn’t make things easier for Florida starter Sean West, who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans and allowed five runs — four earned — on nine hits over five frames in his season debut.
Uggla went 3-for-4 for the Marlins, who were coming off a 4-3 road trip and lost their second straight.
The Phillies tonight go with Kyle Kendrick, who has pitched well in two starts since getting tagged for seven runs in five innings of a loss to St. Louis on July 19. He beat the Rockies five days later with seven innings of one-run ball, then held the Diamondbacks to just a run and four hits while walking three over 6 1/3 frames of a no-decision on Thursday.
The 25-year-old righty is 6-4 with a 4.44 ERA this year and 3-2 with a 5.83 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Marlins, seven of those starts. He is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two outings this season, allowing just two unearned runs over six innings of a victory at Florida on May 28.
These two clubs entered this series having split 26 total meetings since 2009. The Phillies won two of three in Florida in late May and have won 12 of the last 15 meetings at Sun Life Stadium.
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Roy Halladay threw seven strong innings in his return to Miami while Carlos Ruiz added four hits, as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Florida Marlins, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
The last time Halladay (13-8) pitched in Miami, May 29, he threw the second perfect game in Phillies history. While he couldn't replicate that feat Tuesday, Halladay got the win with a dominating performance.
In seven innings, the right-hander allowed one run -- on a homer by Dan Uggla -- and five total hits, walked one and struck out nine.
The Phillies were coming off a series loss in Washington and on Tuesday lost another key player, as first baseman Ryan Howard landed on the disabled list with a moderate left ankle sprain.
However, Philadelphia got production from the lower part of its lineup. In addition to Ruiz, who had a home run and double among his four hits, Ben Francisco went 3-for-5, Wilson Valdez was 2-for-4, and Halladay added a two- run single.
The win, combined with Atlanta's loss to the Mets on Tuesday, got the Phillies within two games of the NL East-leading Braves.
Sean West (0-1), who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, took the loss after allowing five runs -- four earned -- on nine hits and a walk in five innings.
Uggla went 3-for-4 for the Marlins, who were coming off a 4-3 road trip.
Francisco opened the second by slugging a low slider to left for his fourth homer, and Ruiz followed by hitting a first-pitch fastball out to left-center, making it a 2-0 game.
Uggla began the bottom half with his 24th homer of the season, but the Phillies expanded their lead in the fourth. With Francisco on base after a one-out single, Ruiz doubled to center to put runners in scoring position.
After Cody Ransom popped out, West intentionally walked Valdez to get to Halladay, but the strategy backfired, as Halladay singled to the left side to plate two.
Ruiz's RBI single in the fifth pushed the Phillies' lead to 5-1, and a single by Valdez in the seventh tacked on another run.
Halladay, meanwhile, got out of a couple potentially dangerous situations to keep the Marlins in check. Florida had runners on first and second with one out in the fourth before Halladay got Cody Ross to foul out and fanned Mike Stanton.
Then in the seventh, Ross and Stanton hit leadoff singles, but Halladay induced a double-play grounder from Ronny Paulino before getting Hector Luna to fly out.
Chad Durbin threw two shutout innings after Halladay to seal the win.
Over his last three starts, Halladay has given up two earned runs in 24 innings (0.75 ERA), walked two and struck out 27...In a corresponding move to bringing West up, the Marlins designated pitcher Jorge Sosa for assignment
(Sports Network) - Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies all season long. Tonight they return to the location of one of their brightest points of this year.
Roy Halladay will step foot on the Sun Life Stadium mound for the first time since throwing the 20th perfect game in major league history as Philadelphia, likely without Ryan Howard, begins a three-game set with the Florida Marlins.
Though nine games over .500 (57-48), the Phillies are three games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East thanks to an offense that has gone ice cold at times.
Injuries have also hurt the club, as Chase Utley (right thumb), Shane Victorino (abdominal strain) and Jamie Moyer (left elbow) are currently on the disabled list, while Jimmy Rollins has endured two DL stints this season and both Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz have also been hurt.
Injuries also made Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning victory over Washington hard to enjoy, as left fielder Raul Ibanez was scratched before the game due to a sore left wrist and former MVP Howard exited in the first inning due to a sprained left ankle while running the bases. X-rays on the All-Star were negative, but he is scheduled to fly back to Philadelphia for further examination and a disabled list stint seems likely.
Howard is hitting .292 with 23 homers and a NL-leading 81 RBI this season.
Without their slugger, the Phillies got three hits from Polanco, including a go-ahead RBI single in the 11th inning. Jayson Werth followed with a run- scoring double to help Philadelphia avoid a three-game sweep by the Nationals and win for the ninth time in 11 games.
Embattled closer Brad Lidge, who blew a save in Saturday's loss, bounced back with a 1-2-3 inning to record his 11th save.
Philadelphia will try to inch closer to first place behind Halladay, who threw a perfect game in Florida on May 29 while striking out a season-high 11 batters. The outing was just one of his MLB-high eight complete games and three shutouts, though it didn't leave the Marlins shaking their heads.
"Look who's pitching -- it's Roy Halladay, he's the best pitcher in baseball," said Florida's Cody Ross after the perfecto. "It's not embarrassing. He's a Cy Young Award winner, and he did exactly what he needed to do [that night]. He executed every single pitch it seemed like, and you just have to tip your hat. I'm not going to walk out of here with my head down."
The 33-year-old Halladay will try to win a third straight start tonight and has allowed just one run in that span of 17 innings. He beat the Rockies with eight scoreless frames on July 23, then limited the Diamondbacks to one run and six hits over a complete-game victory on Wednesday, marking the fifth time in six starts Halladay has pitched at least eight innings.
Halladay, who is 2-2 with a 2.12 earned run average in his career versus the Marlins, is 12-8 on the season and his 2.21 ERA is the third-best in baseball.
Countering the right-handed Halladay tonight for the Marlins will be 6-foot-8 lefty Sean West, who makes his first big-league start of this year after going 4-3 with a 4.12 ERA with Triple-A New Orleans.
West made 20 starts with Florida as a rookie a season ago and went 8-6 with a 4.79 ERA. One of those came versus the Phillies, and he got a no-decision after yielding three runs -- two earned -- over four frames of work.
Florida had a three-game win streak end on Sunday in a 5-4 loss to San Diego. Marlins ace Josh Johnson gave up a season-high five runs over just 5 2/3 innings, snapping his string of quality starts at 19 in a row while lifting his MLB-leading ERA to 1.96.
"I give them credit, but I didn't make my pitches [Sunday]," said Johnson. "I didn't make my pitches and I let them stay in there, that will hurt you all the time."
Hanley Ramirez connected on a solo homer in the loss, while Wes Helms, Logan Morrison and Ronny Paulino each had an RBI for Florida.
These two clubs have split 26 total meetings since 2009. The Phillies won two of three in Florida in late May and have won 11 of the last 14 meetings at Sun Life Stadium.
Recap: Phillies Need Extra Innings To Complete Sweep Of Marlins
Miami, FL (Sports Network) – Carlos Ruiz’s solo home run in the 10th frame barely cleared the high wall in left, but it was enough to lift the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Florida Marlins and complete a three-game sweep at Sun Life Stadium.
Ruiz stayed red hot, just like the Phillies, who won the final four games of their six-game road trip and returned home a season-best 12 games over .500. The Phillies catcher finished with three hits and three runs batted in, while Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco each added three hits in the victory.
Ryan Madson (4-1) struck out the side in the ninth and Brad Lidge skated around a leadoff single in the 10th to pick up his 12th save. The Phillies have won seven straight extra-inning games.
Will Ohman (0-1) gave up the Ruiz homer in the 10th, but Leo Nunez blew a save opportunity by surrendering a pair of runs in the ninth. Gaby Sanchez drove in a pair of runs for the Marlins, losers in four straight.
Aug 05 11:03p by Jason Brewer - 0 comments