BOX SCORE
The Phillies opened a seven-game homestand with a 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins at rain-soaked Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.The win, which featured a five-out save by Jonathan Papelbon, was the Phillies seventh in the last nine games. They pulled to within 2 games of first-place Washington, which was rained out.The game ended with John Mayberry Jr. making a circus catch in centerfield on a drive by pinch hitter Greg Dobbs with a man on second.The Phillies, already hit hard by injuries, appeared to suffer another when reliever Jose Contreras crumpled to the ground in pain after throwing a pitch in the seventh inning. Contreras quickly left the game. The early diagnosis was right elbow soreness. Stay tuned on that one.The game was delayed 48 minutes by rain in the fifth inning.Starting pitching reportKyle Kendrick gave up eight hits, a number of which were hit hard, and three walks in 5 13 innings, but he managed to hold the Marlins to two runs over that span by getting some big outs in crucial situations.Kendrick has given up just five earned runs in his last four starts, winning two in a row. He is 4-0 in his career against the Marlins.Lefty Mark Buehrle (5-5) allowed four runs on 11 hits.Bullpen reportChad Qualls got a big double play in the sixth and Antonio Bastardo registered three outs in the seventh. However, Bastardo allowed a pair of home runs in the eighth as Miami pulled to within two runs. Papelbon is a perfect 15 for 15 in save chances.At the plateHunter Pence blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning to give the Phils a 4-1 lead. The homer followed a double by Placido Polanco, who had three hits. Pence had just one hit in his previous 28 chances with a runner in scoring position prior to the home run. With Shane Victorino out of the starting lineup with a sore hand, Mayberry moved to centerfield and Hector Luna started in left field. Luna made the most of his opportunity with a two-run single in the first inning and an RBI double in the seventh.Sizzling Carlos Ruiz had three more hits to raise his batting average to .381.Giancarlo Stanton knocked in his 40th run with a double in the first and Logan Morrison and Justin Ruggiano hit back-to-back homers in the eighth for Miami.In the fieldTy Wigginton played like a Gold Glover at first, starting a 3-6-1 double play to halt a first-and-third situation in the third and making a diving stab on a shot by Logan Morrison in the fifth.
Health checkVance Worley, on the DL recovering from elbow inflammation, threw a pain-free bullpen session on Friday afternoon. He is expected to start Monday night against the Dodgers. The Phils wont finalize that, however, until they see how Worley has recovered from the bullpen session. That and more in this injury update (see story).Victorino entered the game defensively in the eighth.Up nextCole Hamels (8-1, 2.43) and Ricky Nolasco (5-3, 4.26) are the pitchers Saturday afternoon. First pitch is 4:05.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com.