Photo: Philliedelphia/Frank Klose
Getting fourteen runs scored against you in a game is a terrible feeling. Getting fourteen runs scored against you in a game you hit well enough in to win is devastating. With five runs crossing the plate and fourteen hits recorded last night, the Phillies offense certainly set themselves up for success against the Marlins. Unfortunately, the pitching staff (namely, Kendrick, Manship, and Garcia) had a ton of trouble on the mound, and did little to help the cause. In such a tight division, where only a handful of games separate the five teams, these games against eastern rivals are that much more important, even this early in the season. The good news for the Phillies was that they had Cole Hamels on the mound in today's contest, who has been quite successful against Miami in his career.
The Game: The Phillies had one of their best opportunities to get on the board in the game right away. With one away, both Wil Nieves and Chase Utley singled in the first inning, setting the team up for some early success. Ryan Howard was able to advance both runners next, but Marlon Byrd came up empty, and the team was scoreless. They'd have a glimpse of a chance in the third, when Cole Hamels singled to lead things off. Jimmy Rollins also singled, a hit that put him in sole possession of second place on the Phillies all-time hits list. Unfortunately, Hamels got antsy on the basepaths, and was thrown out trying to reach third. They would not score.
Fortunately for his own sake, Hamels was dominating. He had allowed just two hits and no runs on only 63 pitches through five innings. It looked as though we'd have a pretty good pitchers duel going through most of the game. Then, with two away in the sixth, Ed Lucas doubled out toward Domonic Brown. Following next was the dangerous Giancarlo Stanton, who took a hanging pitch and drove it out toward the right field gap for an RBI single. The Marlins now had a 1-0 lead. Two more would score when a Jeff Baker single was matched by Marcell Ozuna's eighth home run of the season.
Without sounding dramatic, it seemed as though all was lost for the Phillies. They were set to drop the final two games to the Marlins and go back into their downward spiral. They had a bit of hope return, though, when Rollins walked in the eighth inning. Chase Utley would come up later and double high off the right field wall. Because he had to hold to see if the ball would be caught, Rollins had to hold up rounding second base. With two runners in scoring position, Ryan Howard lifted a fly ball to Christian Yelich in left field, high enough to allow J-Roll to tag up and score. The shutout was over, and Marlon Byrd had an opportunity. Earlier in the game, Byrd sent a ball to left field that would have left most ballparks. In this at bat, he'd redeem himself and lift a monster home run into the deepest part of the ballpark in center field. It brought two runs home, and the game was now tied at two.
Jake Diekman came out to pitch in the ninth with the game still tied at three a side. Marcell Ozuna and Jeff Mathis each singled between outs to put two on with two away and Reed Johnson pinch hitting at the plate. Johnson rolled a ball back toward the mound that Diekman bobbled, and Cody Asche had no play with it. Finally, it was Christian Yelich with a chance to send the fans home happy. He came through perfectly, singling through the middle and bringing home the winning run. The Marlins win this one 4-3, and take the series victory.
Impact: One of the most disappointing losses in a couple weeks for the Phillies. Cole Hamels was hitting his strides on every pitch, and the three runs he allowed should have been nothing with the way we now know this offense can hit. And, despite both Rollins and Byrd continuing their hot hitting throughout this series, they're support came too late. Now, the Phillies must return home to face both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies in two tough three-game sets.
Up Next: The first game in that Los Angeles series will pit Roberto Hernandez against the likes of Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers starting pitcher has yet to be announced.
