If pitching is your thingand with this Phillies team, you might not have a choiceyoure in luck Wednesday night.
Phillies ace Roy Halladay will face Miami Marlins ace Josh Johnson at Citizens Bank Park.
These guys have a little history.
It started on the night of May 29, 2010 when Halladay pitched that dramatic perfect game in a 1-0 win at Miami. Halladay struck out 11 in the game. Johnson was the Marlins starter that night and he was pretty darn goodnot that many noticed. He held the Phils to a run in seven innings.
Less than two weeks later, they hooked up in another pitchers duel with Johnson and the Marlins winning, 2-0, in Philadelphia. Halladay pitched eight innings and allowed one run that night. Johnson delivered eight shutout innings.
Last May, Halladay and Johnson were at it again in Miami. Halladay went eight innings and allowed two runs. Johnson went seven innings and allowed one run in Floridas 2-1 win.
That proved to be the second-to-last start that Johnson made last season. He was rolling along with a microscopic 1.64 ERA in nine starts before shoulder inflammation knocked him out for the remainder of the season.
MLB
With Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Giancarlo Stanton and Gaby Sanchez, the Marlins have significant firepower in their lineup. They bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of lefty Mark Buehrle over the winter. If healthy, Johnson is the guy who can bring it all together. He struggled in his first start of the season, allowing three runs and 10 hits in six innings in a loss to St. Louis. He will look to rebound against the weak-hitting Phillies on Wednesday night.
Halladay comes into the game against his familiar foe having won his first start of the season with eight shutout innings on opening day in Pittsburgh.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com