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Phillies complete rain-swept sweep of Marlins
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Ryan and Raul helped the Phils to a sweep. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
It’s a fine time to be a Phils fan. After a rain-shortened three game sweep of the Marlins, the Phillies now sit 6.5 games up over Atlanta in the National League East.
After leaving the All-Star break feeling high, seeing five Phillies players participate, the team started the second half much the way the first half ended – by winning. They’ve won 10 of 11, including eight in a row.
On Thursday, Jamie Moyer completely baffled the Marlins, allowing one hit over seven innings as the Phillies won 4-0. In that game, Ryan Howard became the fastest player in Major League history to get to 200 home runs.
Moyer’s performance may have been his finest in a Phils uniform as he continued his dominance of Florida. While an outing like that is not the norm for Moyer, it is intriguing to see the 46–year old pitch at such a high level. It’s especially exciting when you realize that the starters are finally hitting their stride at an important point in the season.
Friday wasn’t as pretty, but it was still a win. Marred by a one hour, 18 minute rain delay, the Phils held a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The fish then scored a run in that inning and two in the eighth to tie it up. In the top of the 12th inning, Chase Utley singled home Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth returned the favor for Utley as the Phillies went up 6-4.
It was then Lidge Time in the bottom half of the inning - one that was gut-wrenching to watch. With two outs and runners at second and third, Lidge threw a wild pitch that allowed Ronny Paulino to score making it 6-5. He eventually would sit Dan Uggla down to end the game before any more damage could be done. However, it’s more of the same for Lidge. He has been unable to close games with the same ease of a year ago.
Saturday was yet another rain out, the fourth postponement of the season for the Phillies.
On Sunday, it was all about Rollins and rookie J.A. Happ. Rollins went 3-for-5, narrowly missing a cycle by a homer, but more importantly, he is showing poise at the plate, something we hadn’t seen for many months. His average is now back up to .236 after the 5-0 Phillies win.
On top of Rollins’ great performance, J.A. Happ is looking like a front-runner for Rookie of the Year in the NL. He went seven innings for the fifth consecutive outing, this time completely shutting down the Marlins, and allowing just five hits. Florida left nine runners in scoring position against Happ, but could do nothing about it as the 26-year old dominated again. His name has popped up in the rumors for Blue Jays star Roy Halladay, but more and more, Phillies fans are seeing the promise of the lanky lefty.
It’s been a wild two weeks for the Phillies as their NL East counterparts continue to flounder. On top of that, the rotation is finding a rhythm and the offense is hitting their stride just in time for the dog days of summer. Look out, because when it gets hot, so do the Phillies.
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