Results tagged ‘ Phillies ’

And the Fish take the Series…

GameFish is now a regular blogger for FishStripes.com. Read her game recaps and thoughts on the 2010 Marlins season there.

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Behind great starting pitching, perfect innings from the bullpen, a couple of great defensive plays from Coghlan, and Dan Uggla‘s bat, theMarlins took the rubber match of the series Sunday at Citizen’s Bank Park.

Cole Hamels had a great afternoon on the mound. He went 8 1/3 innings for the Phillies and allowed just two runs on eight hits, and struck out seven.

Dan Uggla was the only Fish that gave Hamels trouble, as he hit a solo homer in the top of the second inning to give the Marlins 1-0 lead.

And a 1-0 lead was all Nate Robertson would need.

After his last start for the Marlins left a lot to be desired, Nate tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings against the Phillies. He gave up only four hits to the their loaded lineup, and pitched his way out of trouble a few times to turn over a 1-0 lead to the bullpen.

Nate ran into trouble in the bottom of the second when he walked three to load the bases. With two out, Cole Hamels came to bat and hit a long fly ball to left field, and Chris Coghlan–already banged up from a previous defensive gem–ran into the wall to make a great catch to end the inning.

Robertson got the first out of the seventh, but with two on, the Hopper was called on to record the last two outs of the inning. Hop got Polanco and Utley to fly out to right field to end the threat, and with the help of a second great defensive play from Coghlan, the Hopper pitched a perfect eighth inning. 

Uggla added an insurance run off of Hamels in the ninth when he doubled in Cantu to make it 2-0, and Leo Nunez closed the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to log his third save of the season.

The Marlins took the series from the reigning National League champions, and end the series in Philadelphia 8-5, having won two games of each of the four series they’ve played so far this season.

Fish Beat Grandfather Moyer

GameFish is now a regular blogger for FishStripes.com. Read her game recaps and thoughts on the 2010 Marlins season there.

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The Marlins and Phillies faced off for game two of their series at a very chilly Citizen’s Bank Park Saturday, and like Friday, the first inning wound up being the deciding factor. This time, though, it was advantage: Marlins.

With Jamie “Freaking” Moyer on the mound, the Fish put up a five-spot in the first inning. Cantu started up a brand new RBI streak when he singled in Maybin, Uggla drove in a run with a single of his own, and Ronny Paulino delivered the big blow in the inning with a three-run homer to left field.

It seemed the Fish had solved Grandpa Moyer, who has traditionally owned them on the mound, but he settled in after the first, and didn’t allow another run through six innings.

The story of the game, though, was Ricky Nolasco, who was about as “on” as it gets. Ricky pitched his fourth career complete game with 109 pitches and allowed just 5 hits to the Phillies, and very nearly threw a shutout. He carried it all the way to the second out in the ninth inning, when Jayson Werth hit a home run to put the Phillies first and only run on the board.

The Phillies didn’t have a hit against Ricky until two outs in the bottom of the fourth when Chase Utley singled. Ricky ran into a little trouble in the sixth when he gave up a single to Bryan Schneider and walked Victorino and Utley to load the bases for Ryan Howard. But Howard grounded to first and Ricky escaped the inning with his shut-out intact.

Ricky even worked the bat a little in the game, with a two-out hit against Moyer in the fourth.

Behind Ricky No-No’s fantastic start, the Marlins split the series with the Philths, and have a chance at the win in Sunday’s finale.

Not much in life feels quite as good beating the Phillies.

Fish Fall Short of Philths

GameFish is now a regular blogger for FishStripes.com. Read her game recaps and thoughts on the 2010 Marlins season there.

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So close.

Jorge Cantu had the perfect opportunity to extend his RBI streak another game, and the Marlins very nearly snatched victory from the jaws of an ugly defeat on a rainy night at Citizen’s Bank Park. But in the end–no cigar.

The Marlins headed into Philly riding a two game win streak, and were met with the perfect antidote to victory:Roy Halladay.

Well, on second thought, the antidote to victory may have been Anibal Sanchez, who threw 35 pitches in a disaster of a first inning. Anibal walked three and gave up three RBI singles to put the Phillies up 3-0 in their first at-bat. In the second, Placido Polanco homered off of Sanchez to give the Phillies a four-run lead, and by the fifth inning, the Marlins were in a 5-0 hole.

While Sanchez struggled, Halladay made quick work of the Fish. He allowed just two runs on eight hits in eight innings of work. In the top of the fourth, Dan Uggla hit a solo shot to left, and the Marlins added another run against Halladay in the seventh inning on an RBI double from Hanley Ramirez.

Jorge Cantu had no luck against Halladay in his attempt to add to his Major League record of 10 straight games with an RBI to open a season. Jorge was 1 for 4 with a single against the Phillies ace, and didn’t drive in a run. Cantu was the last batter Halladay faced in the game, and he flied out to right field to end the inning, and seemingly his RBI streak.

Anibal settled down after the third inning and held the Phillies scoreless through the sixth. He left the game after allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks before the Marlins went to the bullpen.

Dan Meyer‘s struggles on the mound continued in the seventh inning when he gave up three runs without recording an out. Chase Utley hit a home run to lead off the inning, and Jayson Werth and Juan Castro both drove in runs to put the Phillies up 8-2.

Leroux made his second relief appearance for the Marlins. Chris recorded the three outs that had eluded Dan Meyer, and tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Fish mercilessly toyed with our emotions in ninth when they sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs to pull within two of the Phillies.Then, it was nearly poetic when Cantu came to bat with two on and two out in the top of the ninth. Cantu, who had recorded the last out of the eighth inning, was given yet another shot at extending his RBI streak.

Unfortunately both Jorge’s and the Marlins’ luck ran out there. Cantu grounded out to end the game as well as his RBI streak, and the Fish dropped game one of their road trip to the reigning National League champs.

The End.

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In the final game recap of the 2009 season, it would be superb to declare that the Marlins finally managed to hold onto one of the half-dozen or so leads they had in the game, and pull out the victory to end the year with a bang. 
But unless we just ignore the box score and make up our own magical fairy tale of a season finale, the news is not all that thrilling.
Both Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu were out of Sunday’s lineup due to injuries. The Phil’s lineup was also void of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, who are clearly in need of much beauty rest, and had the day off.
In what became sort of a late season tradition, the Marlins put two runs on the board in the first inning. Coghlan wasted no time securing last-minute NL ROY votes as he led off the game with a single, advanced to third on Cameron Maybin’s double, and scored on a sac fly from Nick Johnson. With two out, Ronny Paulino doubled in Maybin to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
Josh Johnson was on the hill in his final start of 2009 and looked good through the first three innings. In the fourth, though, Josh gave up two runs to tie up the game. Miguel Cairo homered to lead off the inning, and Jayson worth followed with a hit, stole second and third, and scored on Ben Francisco’s single.
The Fish reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases with one out. JJ and Nick Johnson walked, and Coghlan singled to load them for Wes Helms, who drove in two on a single to right field. Dan Uggla followed with an RBI single, and the Marlins were back in the lead at 5-3.
For about ten minutes.
In the bottom of the inning, JJ got into trouble and erased the Marlins lead yet again. Andy Tracy tripled and scored on a single by Eric Bruntlett, and Victorino and Dobbs both followed with RBI hits to once again tie the score. 
JJ’s afternoon and season were over with two out in the fifth, after he gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3. He finished the season 15-5.
It didn’t take long for the Marlins to once again nab the lead. Chris Coghlan, who finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored (and an even stronger case for the NL Rookie of the Year award), grounded into a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning to score Emilio Bonifacio and put the Marlins up 6-5.
After two scoreless innings from Burke Badenhop, Ross Gload pinch hit for Hop in the top of the eighth and singled, giving him 21 pinch-hits on the year. With the single, Ross Gload and Wes Helms became the second pair of teammates since 1900 to have 38 pinch hits. 
In the bottom of the eighth, it was time for another Marlins lead-relinquish. Miguel Cairo tripled off of Kiko Calero to open the inning, and scored on a throwing error by Dan Uggla to yet again tie the game.
The Marlins didn’t appear to be ready to let go of the season, and so Renyel Pinto tossed a scoreless ninth to force extra innings. But in the bottom of the tenth, Florida’s luck ran out. Dan Meyer gave up a single to Mayberry to lead off the inning, and after an intentional walk to Jayson Werth, Paul Hoover lined a single to score Mayberry and end the game.
The Marlins finish the season 87 and 75, in second place in the NL East, and surrounded by rumors of the possible removal of Fredi Gonzalez, who led the Fish this season to their third-most wins in the history of the franchise. 
Ah, the joys of Marlins baseball.

7-6, Phillies

Fish <3 Fox Saturday

150758_phillies_marlins_baseball.jpgOn the very last Saturday afternoon of the regular season, Fox finally decided to grace us with a game that featured the Marlins. Boy, the national exposure couldn’t have come at a better time…you know, after the Phillies clinched the NL East, and after the Marlins had been eliminated from the Wild Card. 

But we won’t complain too much, because a Fox Saturday game appears to be just what Hanley Ramirez needed to emerge from his recent slump. Come on, we all know what a fan Hanley is of the big stage, and after getting Friday night off, he wasted no time busting out of his 0-for-11 skid on national TV.  
In his first at bat, Ramirez doubled off of Cole Hamels to drive in Coghlan, stole third, and then scored on a sac fly from Jorge Cantu. The sacrifice was Cantu’s his 100th RBI of the season, and put the Marlins up 2-0. 
Unfortunately for Hanley and Cantu, they wouldn’t last the game. In the fourth inning Hanley left with a knee contusion, and Cantu followed shortly after with a sprained ankle. Hanley is questionable for the series finale, but Cantu’s season ended when he was doubled off in the sixth.
Anibal Sanchez also seemed to be a fan of the national exposure. Or maybe he just wanted to keep up the Jekyl and Hyde routine he’s had going of late. Whichever is the case, Sanchez put in a strong performance against the Phillies. And unlike his 8-walk start earlier in the week, he was actually able to locate the strike zone Saturday. Sanchy went seven innings, and allowed only one run on five hits and two walks. The one run he gave up was naturally another *yawn* Ryan Howard home run– his 45th of the season.   
In the second inning the Fish scored a third run off of Hamels on an RBI double by [NL ROY] Chris Coghlan. Three innings and 47 pitches were all the Phillies allowed Hamels, who was pulled after giving up three runs on three hits and two walks.
The Marlins added what would prove to be a very valuable insurance run in the eighth on an RBI double by Uggla. And it was nice of Dan to drive in the extra run, because he was a big part of the reason the Fish ended up needing it. Uggla’s throwing error in the bottom of the eighth allowed Ryan Howard to reach base before Brian Sanches gave up a home run to Jayson Werth that brought the Phillies within a run. 
Brad Lidge was surprisingly not in the mood to give up any runs in the ninth, so it was up to Leo Nunez to save the game with just a one-run lead. With the help of a nice defensive play from Uggla (which partially redeemed him for his costly eighth inning error) Leo handled the Phillies one-two-three for his 26th save of the season. 
With their fourth win in a row, the Marlins improved to 13 games over .500 and took over sole possession of second place in the NL East. The win also made Fredi Gonzalez the winningest manager in Fish history. 

Hurk + Jorge = W

hurk philies.JPGWho says the Marlins are playing meaningless baseball?

It was the beginning of the end (pause to weep bitterly) as the Fish and the Phils opened their final series of the regular season Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. 
With the Marlins fighting the  Braves for second place in the East, and the Phillies trying to secure home field advantage in the post-season, the Fish had plenty to play for despite being eliminated from the playoffs.
Hanley–in a slump the last few weeks, and hitless in his last 11 ABs–got the night off, but a strong start from Rick VandenHurk and the bats of Jorge Cantu and Cameron Maybin were all the Fish needed to nab their 86th win of the season.
With Joe Blanton on the mound, the Marlins got on the board in the first inning thanks to a two-run single from Jorge Cantu. But the Phils answered right back in the bottom of the first when Ryan Howard went deep off of Rick VandenHurk to tie up the game at two apiece.
Despite the early home run, Hurk made his last start of the season a good one. He allowed five hits through six solid innings, and after the long ball in the first, Hurk didn’t give up another run to the Phillies. 
Once Howard tied the game, the Marlins wasted no time answering back. In the top of the second, Emilio Bonifacio singled, and back-to-back RBI doubles by Cameron Maybin and Chris Coghlan gave the Marlins a 4-2 lead. 
In the seventh, the Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out, but only managed to push one run across the plate on an RBI from Dan Uggla. Joe Blanton was done after he faced one batter in the seventh, and finished the night with five earned runs on nine hits through six innings.
The Marlins added on again in the eighth inning when Cantu drove in his 99th run of the season on a sac fly, and John Baker hit an RBI single to give the Marlins a five-run advantage.
Jorge Cantu continued his RBI tear and drove in three of the Marlins seven runs in the game. Cantu, who drove in 25 in the month of Setember, sits just one RBI away from the century mark with two games left to play. Cameron Maybin also impressed Friday, batting second and going 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored.
With the win, the Marlins improved to 86-74, and are tied with the Braves for second place in the NL East. They also diminished the Phillies chances of home field advantage in the post-season.
Meaningless, schmeaningless.

Double Dip

3500560729_8bd39e168f.jpgThe Marlins treated us to twice the recommended daily allowance of baseball Tuesday as they faced off with the Phillies in a doubleheader at Land Shark Stadium.

Game one featured Marlins ace Josh Johnson on the hill for the Fish, and JJ impressed by striking out ten Philthies through five innings of work. But Josh also gave up four runs on seven hits in those five innings, and since the Fish bats were about as hot in game one as a glacier in Antarctica, that was bad news for the Marlins. 
Part of the problem for the Fish was Joe Blanton, who shut down the Marlins offense through seven innings, striking out nine and allowing only two hits. 
Burke Badenhop tossed two scoreless innings in relief of JJ, but in the eighth he got into some trouble and allowed four runs to the Phils. Andrew Miller recorded the last out of the eighth, but not before demonstrated his dominant pitching skills by walking three and giving up a ninth run to Philadelphia.
The Marlins did finally get on the board against Sergio Escalona in the bottom of the inning, but by then the deficit was a bit much to overcome, and the Marlins dropped game one of the series.
*deep breath*
Anibal Sanchez was on the mound for the Fish in game two of the doubleheader, and recalled the days of yore (come on, 2006 can totally be considered “yore”) with his lights out pitching. Ani allowed just two hits to the Phillies in eight innings, and struck out seven.
While Sanchy was busy shutting down the Phils, the Marlins were busy trying to hit the snail-speed pitches of Grandfather Time, aka Jamie Moyer. Moyer went seven innings for Philadelphia and allowed nine hits to the Marlins. 
In the bottom of the second, Uggla hit his 30th home run of the year, becoming the first Marlin to hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons. Cody went yard in the fourth to put the Marlins up 2-0, and in the fifth Hanley doubled to drive in the third and final run of the game.
Leo Nunez handled his 24th save with a 1-2-3 ninth, and the Marlins split the doubleheader.

Phairly Phantastic Day at the Park for the Phish.

pro-sweep-500r.jpgYou know something’s up when Jeremy Hermida is making highlight-worthy catches in right, the Fish are actually getting double-digit hits off of Grandpa Moyer, Shane Victorino is attacking an umpire like a rabid wildebeest and the home crowd is booing the dude that sings God Bless America… OK, so that last one is pretty much a normal day at the park for Phils fans. But overall, it was a strange, strange afternoon at Citizen’s Bank Park Sunday as the Marlins went for the sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

When Jamie [Freaking] Moyer is on the mound against Florida, it normally signifies nap time for the folks at home. I mean, do we really need to see the Marlins get blanked through seven innings? But something magical happened Sunday afternoon: the Fish actually hit those annoying, 15-mph pitches Moyer was offering them, and through six innings, the team managed eleven hits and three runs off of their longtime nemesis.
If the bats are working against Moyer and Marlins ace Josh Johnson is on the mound, good things are bound to happen. JJ didn’t appear to be himself when he struggled to start the game, but he held the Phillies to one run in a very shaky first inning, and went on to pitch six innings, giving up just four hits and the first-inning run to the Phils. A couple of great defensive plays contributed to JJ’s success, including a stunning Jeremy Hermida snow cone grab of a long fly ball up against the wall in right to save a few runs in the first. Hermida the Gold Glover? I told you it was a strange afternoon. 
The final out JJ recorded in the game was a strikeout of Ryan Howard in the bottom of the sixth. Howard was rung up by home plate umpire Ed Rapuano on a pitch that several Phillies took exception to, and that’s where the afternoon got really exciting.
It’s like I always say: how dare anyone call a pitch a strike if Shane Victorino is not in 100% agreement?! Well, the Phil’s center fielder wasn’t, and he thought it would be a good idea to discuss his disapproval with Ed Rapuano in the midst of a Wes Helms at-bat during the top of the seventh inning… from center field. I have no idea on earth why that would bother an umpire in the least, but it did, and Rapuano tossed Victorino from the game. 
Upon hearing the news of his ejection, Victorino trotted calmly to the Phillies dugout and accepted his punishment with grace and dignity raced to home plate with a fury reminiscent of a man possessed by the devil and pretended that he was going to tear the flesh from Ed Rapuano’s bones. But come on. We all know Ed could take Victorino down with one hand tied behind his back, and the three (HA!) Phillies it took to “hold back” the pint-sized Hawaiian were there for show, I assure you.
After Victorino’s ejection, the Marlins went on to score six runs against Phils reliever Rodrigo Lopez that inning, sealing the victory, and the sweep, for the Fish. 
And then the ever-classy Philadelphia fans booed the poor guy who sang God Bless America. I guess when Shane Victorino is upset, or their team is getting swept, any love of country–or just plain common courtesy–flies out the window for residents of the city of brotherly loathing.
Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan were both 4-for-6 in the game with several RBI, and with his second hit of the afternoon, Coghlan surpassed Juan Pierre and Miguel Cabrera to set a new franchise record for consecutive multi-hit games (8). Jorge Cantu drove in a pair of runs, and Wes Helms topped off the scoring with a two-run homer in the ninth inning.
On an afternoon when fans were expecting to see a big zero under the Marlins “H” in the box score for most of the game, the team treated us to a season-high 19 hits, a dozen runs, and a sweep of the Phillies at home to pull within four games of the NL East leaders. 
Ah, nothing beats a sweep of my least favorite team in baseball.

Fish Rx

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Unfortunately, while all that was going on, it seemed the Philadelphia Phillies decided that they would never lose a game again, ever, so the Fish gained exactly zero ground in the East going into the series finale with the Friars. But the Cubbies helped the Marlins out with a 10-5 pummeling of the Philths Wednesday afternoon, and so the Fish have gained at least one game on the reigning world champs. Thanks, Cubs. (And be sure to get all that “win” stuff out of your system before you head to South Florida next week.) 
The Marlins are now six games back in the East, and HLD&S has discovered its new favorite antidepressant: real bad teams. 

Somebody Fetch Me My Antidepressants

andrew-miller-marlins-loss.jpgSunday’s game was a pretty big one for the Marlins. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to mention that to Andrew Miller. 

After the Fish dropped the first two games of the series and saw Saturday’s promising start by Josh Johnson rained out, the Marlins needed Big Game Andrew to come up with a quality outing to give the team a chance to salvage at least one game of the series. 
Instead, Miller chose the finale against the Phillies to have the exact opposite of a quality outing, and pitch horrendously (which may be putting it mildly). 
In the top of the first on Sunday afternoon at Land Shark Stadium, sighs of relief were breathed when a wild Miller managed to wiggle out of a bases-loaded situation without the Phillies scoring, thanks in part to a heads up play by Emilio Bonifacio. But BGA wasn’t so lucky in the second.

With two outs and the pitcher at bat, that elusive third out evaded Andrew again. Three singles later, the bases were loaded, and Miller hit Chase Utley to score the first run of the game. Things went (even more) downhill from there. By the time he was yanked, Andrew had given up four runs on six hits and four walks. 

We’re not exactly sure at which point Miller decided that less than three innings was anywhere remotely close to an acceptable start, but for the second game in a row he lasted only 2 2/3.
To be fair, Andrew Miller could have pitched a perfect game, and it would not necessarily have earned him the win on an afternoon when the Marlins lineup was playing a delightful game of “Who Can Leave the Most Men On.” Of course, HLD&S would never dream of taking anything away from talented Phillies rookie J.A. Happ–we tip our cap to you, sir– but the Fish did their best to make him look good on the mound Sunday afternoon. For real. When the bases are loaded and there are no outs, not scoring would seem to require a lot more effort than just giving in and putting a run or two on the board.
For the second game in the series the Marlins matched the Phillies in hits, but completely failed to hit when it actually mattered. The Fish blew every chance they were given, went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and were shut out by the Phils for the second time in the series. It actually caused us physical pain to watch.
The one thing Marlins fans had to cheer about in an otherwise maddening game was the bullpen, which pieced things together admirably after Miller hit the showers. Brian Sanches pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Burke Badenhop struck out the side in the top of the fifth and tossed a scoreless 6th, Luis Ayala and Renyel Pinto followed with scoreless innings of their own, and after Dan Meyer gave up a run, Brendan Donnelly handled the last two outs of the ninth. Unfortunately, their very nice effort was wasted due to the fact that–as previously mentioned–NO ONE on the Marlins squad could manage to hit with runners in scoring position. 
The Marlins have lost three in a row, have dropped every single game they have played against the Phils at Land Shark this season, and fall to seven games behind their division rivals as they head back out West to face several teams that, unfortunately, are not the Nationals.
 
HLD&S is officially depressed.
5-0, Phillies
Rick Vanden Hurk has been called up to start Monday night in San Diego. Andy Gonzalez was optioned to AAA to make room for the Incredible Hurk on the roster. 
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