Florida @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2010 ) Florida 7, Philadelphia 8
Back in first place for the first time since May, the Philadelphia Phillies don’t plan on looking back.
The Phillies will be looking to distance themselves from the pack when they close out a four-game series against the Florida Marlins on Wednesday.
Winners of the National League East in each of the past three seasons, Philadelphia has been in either second or third place most of the season until a surge over the last two weeks put them right behind the Atlanta Braves in the division. The Phillies took the final step on Tuesday, battling for an 8-7 win over the Marlins.
Placido Polanco singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Raul Ibanez drove in three. Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino each added solo homers and Jimmy Rollins chipped in two RBIs in the 13-hit attack.
That victory, combined with Atlanta’s loss at Pittsburgh, puts Philadelphia one-half game in front of the Braves in the division.
Picking up another game in the standings today would certainly be helpful for the Phillies, who embark on a six-game road trip starting Friday.
Lost in the shuffle a bit with the arrivals of Roy Halladay before the season and Roy Oswalt at the trading deadline has been former Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels, who gets the nod in today's series finale. While the two new guns have garnered most of the headlines, Hamels has actually been pitching the best, riding a streak of 18 straight scoreless innings.
The left-hander ranks sixth in the National League with 183 strikeouts to go along with a sparkling 3.18 ERA and has yielded two runs or less eight times in his last 11 outings. He presided over a 1-0 victory last week, striking out seven and allowing three hits in seven scoreless frames.
Hamels (9-10) has faced Florida once this season, surrendering two runs on seven hits in eight innings while striking out eight on April 18. He came away with the loss, however, as the Phillies were shut out 2-0. In his career, Hamels owns a 2-7 record with a 4.26 ERA in 13 starts against the Marlins despite notching 82 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings.
Countering for Florida will be left-hander Andrew Miller (1-0). Hoping to continue on the road to major league redemption, the former top prospect is trying to put on a good show in the final month in order to earn a big-league job next spring.
Command issues have always been the problem for Miller, and his short stint in the majors this season has been no different.
The 25-year-old has issued 10 walks while striking out 11 in 15 total innings. He handed out three free passes along with seven hits in five innings last Friday against Atlanta but managed to limit the damage to one run in earning the win.
Miller has never beaten Philadelphia, going 0-3 in 10 games - five starts - while walking 22 in 29 2/3 innings.