Game Recap 08.04.10 - Phillies 7 Marlins 2

AP Photo/Alan Diaz

Kyle Kendrick (7-4, 4.37 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 3.50 ERA) had already warmed up before the Marlins ground crew scurried to put the tarp on the field just minutes before the first pitch was to be thrown. But 58 minutes later Sanchez took the mound and it appeared the game would go on as planned.

For the second night in a row the Phillies (59-48) struck first, scoring two in the first inning on big hits by both Ross Gload and Domonic Brown. Brown, who went 1-4 with 3 RBIs, is now batting .273 after six games with the big club with 6 RBIs. But it isn’t just his bat that’s making waves in the baseball world. The Marlins (53-54) tested Brown’s arm not once, not twice, but three times in the 7-2 loss to Philadelphia.



In the bottom of the third, Gaby Sanchez doubled to left and Dan Uggla answered with a single to right which would have put runners on the corners for Cody Ross with two outs. However, when Sanchez kept chugging around third, Brown took matters into his own hands and gunned a strike to Carlos Ruiz at home plate, pegging the runner out by fifteen feet.

The Phillies scored two more runs in the fifth on a single by Raul Ibanez (2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB) and a sacrifice by Brown after the Marlins intentionally loaded the bases by walking Gload (1-3, 2 BB, 1 K) to get to the prevailing rookie.

Kendrick, who doubled to in the sixth and would eventually score the Phillies fifth run of the night, was impressive over six innings giving up two runs on eight hits (one of which was a solo home run by Uggla in the second), walked none, and struck out five. He tossed only 86 pitches, but 61 on those were for strikes.

The bullpen did a respectable job of keeping the win in line for Kendrick and the Phillies. Jose Contreras came on in relief in the seventh and allowed only one hit (a single) on 15 pitches. Ryan Madson labored a bit through the eighth tossing 27 pitches to five batters, but got out of the inning relatively unscathed after allowing a double and a walk by getting Ross to fly out and striking out two. Brad Lidge had a perfect ninth on 14 pitches, striking out one.

Roy Oswalt (PHI 6-13, 3.53 ERA) takes on Chris Volstad (FLA 5-8, 4.71 ERA) tonight at 7:10 for the series finale. Pin It Now!