Philadelphia @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 3, 2010 ) Philadelphia 6, Florida 1
With his shoulder no longer a burden, Anibal Sanchez feels that he is ready to raise his game.
The Florida Marlins' right-hander certainly did that in his last outing by tossing a one-hit gem en route to handcuffing the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
What will the 26-year-old Sanchez do for an encore?
We'll find out on Wednesday when the Marlins (53-53) look to slow down the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies (58-48) at Sun Life Stadium.
Winners of 10 of their last 12, the Phillies aren't letting their myriad injuries slow them down. Philadelphia pulled to within two games of National League East-leading Atlanta after the Braves dropped a 3-2 decision to the New York Mets on Tuesday.
As a result, New York moved into third place and ahead of Florida, which remained seven games off the pace.
Helping the Marlins rebound falls on the capable shoulders of Sanchez (8-6, 3.33 ERA), who retired his first 13 batters and matched a career high with eight strikeouts against San Francisco. Aside from his no-hitter in his rookie campaign of 2006, Sanchez hasn't thrown a finer outing in his major league career.
Sanchez's dominant start last Thursday also came on the heels of several baffling ones. His victory was his first in six outings since he bested the woeful Baltimore Orioles on June 22.
Then again, the Phillies pack considerably more punch than the Orioles - who doesn't? - even if the two-time defending National League champions are without their big bats in the lineup.
On a day when 2006 National League MVP Ryan Howard (ankle) joined four-time All-Star second baseman Chase Utley (thumb) and outfielder Shane Victorino (oblique) on the disabled list, Carlos Ruiz and Ben Francisco belted solo homers to pace the Phillies to a 6-1 victory over the Marlins.
While Ruiz and Francisco are able to do some damage with their bats, unlikely "slugger" Roy Halladay also got in on the action. The seven-time All-Star hurler slapped a two-run single in the fourth inning to break open the game.
Speaking of pitchers, Philadelphia will send Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 4.44 ERA) to the hill today.
The 25-year-old right-hander has certainly responded since his brief demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 21. Kendrick has posted a 1-0 mark with a 1.35 ERA since then.
In his last outing, he permitted one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. Unfortunately for Kendrick, he settled for a no-decision in the Phillies' 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.