» Florida Beats Phillies in 11 Innings

Florida Beats Phillies in 11 Innings

Slugging 1st baseman Ryan Howard is due back from rehab in time for the Phillies to open the Atlanta Braves series, not a day too soon as the Phils sure could have used him in Florida.

In a series that the Phils assuredly would like to forget, they dropped the get-away game to the Marlins in 11 innings by a 5-4 score as the plague of crucial mental errors continues as does team injuries. Bot the kind of momentum that you want to take into a series with Atlanta.

Where on Wednesday, the culprits were 1st baseman Greg Dobbs and catcher Ron Barajas, in Thursday’s game the culprit was third base coach Steve Smith who had no good reason for sending pinch-runner Michael Bourne home on Dobbs’ 8th inning double with none out with the Phils then trailing 4-3.

Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Todd Zolecki relates the 8th inning events;

They [the Phillies] tied the game in the eighth, but should have had one more. Chris Coste, who had two hits, walked. Manuel sent Michael Bourn to pinch-run for Coste, and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs doubled to right-center field. Bourn had to stop at second to make sure the ball dropped, but once it did he left for third. Centerfielder Alfredo Amezaga played the ball perfectly off the wall and threw quickly to cutoff man Dan Uggla. There seemed to be no reason to send Bourn because the Phillies would have runners on second and third and no outs.

But third base coach Steve Smith sent Bourn anyway.

Uggla threw a strike home, and Bourn, who is the fastest runner on the team, was out by several feet.

Smith knew he made a major mistake.

Dobbs scored from second on a single from pinch-hitter Shane Victorino to make it 4-4.

It should have been 5-4.

It should have been over.

But this is only a part of the story. Abraham Nunez, the original starting 2nd baseman in this game, caught a right to the jaw on the follow-thru of catcher Miguel Olivo’s throw to 2nd base and left the game with a concussion. Nunez thus joins Brett Myers with injuries sustained against the Marlins. Myers had tests on Thursday for his strained shoulder. The team awaits the results.

Bad blood between the 2 teams had been simmering throughout the series due opening game starter Scott Olsen’s disparaging comments about the Phils. Things built up during the series due to hit batsmen and possible brushback pitches by pitchers for both teams.

The Phils got 12 hits, were walked 7 times and left a season-high number of 17 runners on base. In the last 20 innings over the last 2 games, the Phillies had at least 1 baserunner per inning. And yet they lost the series and very nearly were swept.

After a 1 1/2 hour rain-delay, the Phils got on the board early off of Marlins’ ace lefthander Dontrelle Willis with 2 first inning runs as centerfielder Aaron Rowand got an RBI double to left-centerfield scoring shortstop Jimmy Rollins scored after stealing second on Nunez’s strikeout, knock-out by catcher Olivo. 3rd baseman Wes Helms later drove in Rowand with a 2 out single to rightfield. 2-0 Phillies.

If Phillies starter Jon Lieber had any hopes about duplicating the one-hit shutout he threw at Cincinnati as a Cub on May 24, 2001, they were quickly dashed as leftfielder Joe Bouchard followed 1st baseman Aaron Boone’s leadoff walk with an RBI double to center as Florida cut the Phils’ lead to 2-1 in the 2nd.

The Marlins scored 2 more in the 5th taking a 3-2 lead on rightfielder Jeremy Hermida’s 2 out, 2 run double to leftfield.

The Phils tied the game on Willis in the 6th inning on Rollins’ centerfield sacrifice fly RBI. But Florida went ahead again in their half of the 6th as catcher Olivo tripled and leftfielder Bouchard reached base on a fielder’s choice play. 4-3 Florida. Geoff Geary relieved relieved Lieber at this piont and retired the side with no further damage. Geary had a 3 up, 3 down 7th inning and was replaced by Ryan Madson who struck out the side in the 8th inning and got into and out of a jam in the 9th Marlins threatened with the score tied.

Willis was removed with the score at 4-3 in the 7th inning, having thrown a season-high 113 pitches in the game and after walking leftfielder Pat Burrell. Neither starting pitcher was in on the final decision. Reliever Justin Miller got the side out in the 7th holding the Phils scoreless.

Matt Lindstrom replaced Miller for the 8th inning and was charged with the Phillies tying run.

Then came the parade of Marlins relievers who held the Phils off of the board the rest of the way despite giving up 3 hits and 2 walks.
Reliever Lee Gardner pitched the 11th inning and recorded the win.

Francisco Rosario, who was charged with the loss, replaced Madson in the 10th inning and got out of a 2 on, 2 out jam on a ground ball — fielder’s choice. In the 11th inning, he was not so lucky as shortstop Hanley Ramirez singled to lead off. 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera doubled to center as the Phils outfielders thought it left the park. Ramirez scampered home with the winning run to end the misery.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps of this and all of Thursday’s games, click here.

The Phillies open against the Atlanta Braves on Friday as lefthander Jamie Moyer faces Tim Hudson in the opener. Adam Eaton faces Atlanta’s Buddy Carlyle who starts his first major league game in 8 years on Saturday. On Sunday, lefthander Cole Hamels opposes Kyle Davies in the get-away game.