Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Posted: 10:17 p.m.Updated: July 6, 12:47 a.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
MIAMIIf the Phillies were worried that Cole Hamels would be feeling the aftereffects of the line drive that ricocheted off his glove hand last Thursday against the Red Sox, the All-Star lefty certainly put everyones mind at ease.
In fact, to celebrate Hamels clean bill of health, the Phillies offense went out and scored him a bunch of runs on Tuesday night at Sun Life Stadium.
Hamels turned in eight solid innings and picked up his 10th win of the season in his fourth attempt as the Phillies rolled to a 14-2 victory over the Florida Marlins. Hamels picked up five strikeouts, scattering eight hits, all while retiring 14 of the final 16 hitters he faced.
Meanwhile, the eight runs of support are the most Hamels has received since his last win on June 14, which was also against Florida. In the outings between his wins, Hamels allowed four runs in 18 13 innings (1.96 ERA), but the Phillies scored a grand total of just three measly runs in that time.
MLB
Then again, run support (or a lack thereof) is nothing new for Hamels. His teammates scored just 15 runs in the six games the lefty has started in June, and nine of them came in one game.
Frankly, Hamels didnt mind the dearth of hitting too much. Without all the hits, the game flowed better.
Getting that many runs is nice, but sometimes it breaks up your rhythm. It felt like the game was in slow motion, said Hamels, who has received at least eight runs of support in three of his last four games in Miami. In between innings it was really long, but selfishly from a pitching standpoint you want to get a good rhythm going and shut them down as soon as possible.
Getting that many runs also helps pitchers relax, Hamels said. That goes for hitters, too. Of course the eight-spot comes a day after the Phillies beat the Marlins 1-0 behind Michael Martinezs RBI single. As it turned out on Tuesday night, Martinez added three more RBIs with a bases-loaded triple with two outs in the ninth inning to cap off the scoring and ensure that every position player notched at least one hit.
Jimmy Rollins led the way by going 4 for 5 with a walk.
It was a productive evening, said Rollins, who passed Larry Bowa for sole possession of fifth place on the clubs all-time hit list.
The biggest hit though wasnt one of Rollins nor was it the two-run homer Ryan Howard bashed with two outs in the fourth inning for his 18th of the season to go with four RBIs, adding to his league-leading total of 71. Instead, the game-breaking hit came with two outs in the third inning after Marlins manager Jack McKeon ordered his starting pitcher Chris Volstad to intentionally walk Howard to load the bases for Raul Ibanez, even though first base was occupied.
Certainly it seemed like a decent strategy considering Howard went into the game batting 12 for 24 with seven homers and 11 RBIs in his career against Volstad. However, Ibanez was 10 for 22 with three homers and eight RBIs against the Marlins starter.
Its hard to pitch to a guy who is hitting .500 off you, Rollins said.
In other words, it was a lose-lose situation for Volstad.
I was a little bit surprised in that situation with a runner on first, but it is what it is and this game is history, Howard said of the intentional walk.
And the path to defeat began when Ibanez grounded one to center to send Rollins and Chase Utley scurrying home.
The Phillies added three more in the third on singles from Dom Brown and Wilson Valdez. Howard drove home another run in the sixth when his two-out single plated Rollins following his leadoff double. Then, the Phils piled on in the ninth where Ibanez slugged a two-out homer to drive in Howard after his RBI double. The biggest hit of the ninth was Martinezs bases-loaded triple, which was the second of his career.
We got a lot of our runs late, but at the same time its good for our guys to hit, manager Charlie Manuel said. That definitely builds your confidence.
Still, Ibanezs single in third got it rolling. Interestingly, Ibanez had been riding a 1-for-14 stretch heading into the game, which came on the heels of his 3-for-3 effort against John Lackey and the Red Sox last week. Headed into that game against the Sox, Ibanez had been on a 1-for-22 skid until he broke out.
Maybe this time another game in his hometown can keep the streaks from being so extreme?
For him to come out and get the hit after they walked me, thats huge, Howard said. Thats a big pick up for the whole team and it has to be a big pick up for Raul.
The Phillies (55-32) go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday night when Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.81) takes on the Marlins Anibal Sanchez (6-2, 3.30). Kendrick has already faced the Marlins twice this year, posting a 1.13 ERA in eight innings with a 2-0 record. For his career, the righty is 6-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 14 appearances against the Marlins.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JRFingerCSN.
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