Phillies Rally From Behind, Edge Marlins Again
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Both Chan Ho Park and Chris Volstad registered quality starts and the Phillies took an early 2-0 lead before falling behind the Marlins by 4-2 in the fourth inning on back-to-back homers. But the Phillies again charged back with single runs in the sixth and ninth innings for tie and force extra innings. 2 tenth inning runs completed the Phillies’ rally from behind as they edged the Marlins again, this time by a 6-4 tally on Saturday.
Park and Volstad matched on the mound for 7 innings, although the latter held a slight edge leaving the game with the Marlins holding a slim 4-3 lead. But Park tried to help his own cause opening the Phils’ scoring with a 1 out, third inning solo homer. He also retired 9 of the first 10 Marlins hitters he faced — 7 of them in a row between the final out in the first inning and the end of the third inning. Park’s homer, the 3rd of his career, was his 1st since his 2 run eighth inning homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers off of Woody Williams at San Diego on Sept. 29, 2000.
In the fourth inning, after 1st baseman Ryan Howard solved Volstad in blistering a 1 out solo homer to centerfield for a 2-0 Phillies lead,
the first 2 Marlins reached on a single and a walk before 1st baseman Jorge Cantu’s 3 run homer put Florida ahead by 3-2. 2nd baseman Dan Uggla followed in back of Cantu with a solo homer and Florida was up by 4-2. It was Uggla’s 2nd three-run homer in 2 games.
But the Phillies bounced back in the sixth inning loading the bases with none out on a single, Uggla’s fielding error on a ground ball and Volstad’s hitting 2nd baseman Chase Utley with a pitch. Howard followed by grounding into a doubleplay with the Phillies’ 3rd scoring. Both bullpens held their opponents off of the board in the eighth before the Phils notched the tying run in the ninth against 3 Marlins relievers, the run being charged to lefthanded reliever Renyel Pinto.
Rightfielder Jayson Werth opened the ninth with a walk. Leftfielder Raul Ibanez singled to rightfield with Werth advancing to 3rd base. Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs struck out. Pinch hitter Matt Stairs followed ny grounding out to 3rd base with with Werth scoring on the play and Ibanez, who had advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch, and advancing to 3rd on the groundout. Pinch hitter Chris Coste struck out to end the inning with the game knotted at 4-4.
Coste stayed in the game as battery-mate for Ryan Madson who retired the the Marlins in the ninth allowing only a 2 out single.
Logan Kensing took over on the mound for the Marlins in the tenth and got shortstop Jimmy Rollins on a goundout to shortstop. Centerfielder Shane Victorino singled to rightfield and stole 2nd base. Utley then singled to centerfield scoring Victorino. Howard followed with a single to centerfield sending Utley to 3rd base. Jayson Werth then followed singling to center scoring Utley. Kensing the got Ibanez to fly to center and ended the inning by striking out Miguel Cairo who pinch hit for Madson.
Closer Brad Lidge held off the Marlins in 10th to pick up his 4th save, despite getting into hot water after striking out the 1st 2 Marlins. Cantu doubled and both Uggla and leftfielder Brett Carroll walked before Lidge struck out rightfielder Cody Ross to seal the Phillies win.
Madson, who pitched the ninth was credited with his 2nd win, while Kensing, who surrendered the 2 Phillies 10th inning runs on 4 hits, was charged with the loss.
The AP recap for Yahoo sports notes:
Cole Hamels threw before the game and remained on schedule to start Tuesday against Washington.
For all of the results of Saturday’s games, click here.
In Sunday’s series final, veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer faces 25 year old lefthanded minor league call-up Graham Taylor as Anibal Sanchez was scratched from Sunday’s start by the Marlins. A series sweep now seems a real possibility.
After Sunday’s get-away against the Marlins, the Phils return home on Monday to entertain the Washington Nationals for 3 games followed by a day off on Thursday before entertaining the NY Mets in a 3 game early season weekend showdown series on May 1-3.
For all of Sunday’s games, click here.
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