reCAP: Miami Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies

5/4/13

It was a great night to play baseball and the Phillies showed that in the first game of this series. They won 7-2 with solid pitching by Kyle Kendrick. Then again, it helped when Domonic Brown and Ryan Howard hit solo homeruns. It also helps that the Marlins have one of the worst offenses in baseball and had some defensive miscues in the first game. Last night was the second game of the series and you would think this offense would put up numbers against a bad Marlins team…right? Ricky Nolasco was on the mound for the Marlins and Jonathan Pettibone started for the Phillies. Nolasco is a tough pitcher for the Phillies to face and has been successful throughout his career when he pitches in Citizens Bank Park. Pettibone has had two solid starts since joining the team on April 22. Albeit, he hasn’t faced legitimate competition as he has faced some of the worst hitting teams in the NL. Ben Revere was back in the lineup last night after having the night off with a swollen finger. Carlos Ruiz was also back in the lineup after having the first game off. Would the Phillies fare well against Nolasco or would Nolasco pitch the way that he’s accustomed to pitching in Philadelphia?

The Phillies seemed to fare well against Nolasco. They hit three solo homeruns and Revere hit an RBI single to right field that scored Ruiz from second. Brown, Howard, and Chase Utley were the guys who hit the solo homeruns. Donovan Solano scored the only run for the Marlins. He hit a solo homerun in the fourth inning. The final score of the game was a Phillies 4-1 win.

Pettibone pitched another solid game against a weak opponent. What I like about him is that he makes hitters hit the ball on the ground for his outs. He doesn’t rely on strikeouts and he doesn’t walk many batters. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowed five hits, one run, and struck out three batters. The bullpen on the other hand was a train wreck. Yes, they got out of jams in the seventh and eighth innings, but it shouldn’t have to be that way for pitchers like Antonio Bastardo and Mike Adams. At the same time, Bastardo was effectively wild in his 2/3 innings of work. He walked two batters to load the bases in the seventh, but came back with two strikeouts. Adams may have had an off performance because he was pitching in back to back games. He allowed a hit, walked one and struck out one batter in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon had an easy ninth inning and recorded his fifth save of the season for the Phillies.

Nolasco didn’t pitch that well. He left up three pitches for solo homeruns and allowed five other hits. Other than allowing four runs in six innings, he walked a batter and struck out four. Ryan Webb pitched the final two innings and was unscathed.

Overall, the Phillies have to keep building on these wins. It’s ironic how the Phillies play well when Kendrick and Pettibone/Lannan pitch, but don’t play well when Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Roy Halladay pitch. I have to give props to Howard. He had a multi-hit game last night and I loved how he tried to hustle to third base to get a triple instead of going for the double. Even though he was called out at third for his attempted triple, he got a standing ovation by the crowd for hustling.

Do you expect another Phillies win tonight? Sound off and stay tuned as I will be at the game to see Cole Hamels pitch for the Phillies. Jose Fernandez will start for the Marlins.