Kyle Kendrick, possibly making his final start as a Phillie in Citizens Bank Park, ended his home season on a really nice note tonight as the Phillies took the game and the series against Miami. He scattered seven hits and allowed only one run in 6.1 innings, striking out six and walking one. The bullpen continued to shut down the opposition and while it was a quiet night at the plate for the home team, there was just enough to notch the win.
The Game: Things started off well for the Phillies as Kendrick threw a perfect first inning with the help of some good defense from Maikel Franco making his first start at first base. In the bottom of the inning, Ben Revere singled and took second on a wild pitch from Brad Hand. Franco would drive him in with a single and he himself would score from first on a double from Marlon Byrd to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
The Marlins would get one back in the second with a solo home run from Garrett Jones. Hand would go on to retire the next 14 batters after Byrd's RBI until Revere hit a lead off single in the 6th. He would get to third base on another wild pitch but would remain stranded there. Kendrick would keep the Marlins off the boards after Jones' blast but was lifted for Jake Diekman in the 7th after allowing two singles. Pinch hitter Reed Johnson would single to right field which gave Miami's Justin Bour a shot at scoring but Byrd threw him out at the plate. Diekman would then strike out Christian Yelich to end the inning.
Ken Giles would continue his dominance in the 8th which was good because the bats really couldn't have been more silent for the Phillies after the first inning. Sam Dyson would pitch in the relief for Miami and hurl two perfect frames leaving Jonathan Papelbon to save the 2-1 lead. On a comebacker from Jordany Valdespin, Papelbon completed the 1-2-3 inning to notch his 37th save of the season and his 104th in a Phillies uniform putting him in second place all time behind Jose Mesa's 110.
Notable Offensive Statistics:
- Ben Revere: 2-4, R
- Maikel Franco: 1-3, R, RBI
- Marlon Byrd: 1-3, 2B, RBI
Up Next: The Phillies look for the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 against Miami. David Buchanan gets the ball coming off a strong start last Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Facing the Phillies for Miami is Tom Koehler who is having a pretty good season at 9-9 with a 3.74 ERA.
Greg Vince is a contributer for Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @GregVince
