Jul 19, 2008 8:54 pm US/Eastern
Fish Fry The Phillies, 9-5
MIAMI (AP) ―
The game brought to mind a Saturday beer league, with
plenty of swinging from the heels by both the Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies. Despite a four-run
margin, the outcome was in doubt until the final pitch.
The Marlins had a
little more pop, hitting three homers to win 9-5 and tighten the race in the NL
East.
"It does resemble a
softball game a little bit," said Cody Ross, who came within a homer of the
cycle. "We've got some guys going up there taking healthy hacks, and the
Phillies are the same way. The game is never over."
Trailing by four runs, Philadelphia loaded the
bases with one out in the ninth against Kevin Gregg. Ryan Howard, who leads the
majors with 29 home runs, then struck out on three pitches. Pat Burrell, who
homered twice earlier, grounded out to end the game.
"I was trying to get
everybody on the edge of their seats," Gregg said with a smile. "What counts is
we shook hands afterward."
The game was filled
with misadventures. Three runners were thrown out at the plate, two catchable
balls dropped in right field, and Marlins third baseman Jorge Cantu committed
two errors on one grounder.
But mostly it came down
to the long ball, and even against high-scoring Philadelphia, the Marlins can hold their own.
Florida leads
the majors with 138 homers, and the Phillies are second with 136.
"If they want to mash, we can
mash," Ross said.
Dan Uggla hit a two-run homer
for Florida,
his 24th, and Jeremy Hermida hit his 11th. The Marlins
even got a homer from rookie backup catcher John Baker, who drove in four runs
to triple his season RBI total to six since being recalled from the minors July
8.
"This lineup is really
strong," Baker said. "It's a fun lineup to hit in. I'm just trying to chip in
where I can."
The Marlins remained
third in the NL East but are only 1 ½ games behind Philadelphia, which began
the day with a one-game lead over the New York Mets.
And Florida fans—last in the majors in
attendance—are beginning to catch pennant fever. Attendance was 26,520, giving
the Marlins home crowds above 20,000 in consecutive games for the first time
this season.
"That tells you we're
doing good," said Cantu, who made up for his errors by going 4-for-5 with three
RBIs.
Ross went 3-for-5 with
a single, double and triple. Needing a homer to complete the first cycle by a Florida player, he
struck out on three pitches in the seventh and grounded out in the eighth.
Baker singled in a run and hit
a three-run homer, his second.
Burrell hit two solo homers
for Philadelphia,
giving him 25 this
year. He has 243 career homers, which ties him with Chuck
Klein for third on the Phillies' all-time list.
But after the game, Burrell
was focused on making the final out.
"I'm still bummed about that
last at-bat," he said. "We had a chance to win there. That's the part that
hurts. It stings."
The Marlins' homers
came off Kyle Kendrick (8-4), who allowed 10 hits and seven runs in 4 1-3
innings.
"They swing early and
often a lot," Kendrick said. "Obviously they wanted the fastballs, so I tried
to mix it up. I just didn't have my stuff today."
Scott Olsen (6-4)
allowed four runs, three earned, in five innings. Four relievers limited Philadelphia to one run
over the final four innings.
The Marlins flirted
with disaster in the second. Cantu committed two errors by bobbling a grounder
and making an errant throw, and Olsen gave up two hits and walked the pitcher
to load the bases.
But the Phils managed
only one run. Howard and Jayson Werth were thrown out at the plate on grounders
to third, and Jimmy Rollins grounded out to leave the bases loaded.
The Phillies came from
behind twice before Florida
went ahead to stay in the fifth, scoring three runs on the homers by Hermida
and Uggla to lead 7-4.
"The Marlins are
aggressive," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said. "They hunt fastballs to hit.
And when you make a mistake, they hit it."
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
