Fish Wrap - Marlins 2, Phillies 7

The second game of the Marlins-Phillies series started off with an hour-long rain delay, and things really never improved for the Fish from there. 

After the skies cleared and the tarp was rolled away, the Phillies picked up where the rain left off, giving Anibal Sanchez a rough first inning. Placido Polanco singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, Raul Ibanez walked, and consecutive RBI singles by Ross Gload and rookie Dominic Brown put the Phillies up 2-0.

In the second inning, the Marlins got a run back off of Kyle Kendrick when Mike Stanton crushed a ball to left center for his tenth home run of the season. 

They had a chance to add on in the third when Gaby hit a two-out double, but couldn't capitalize. Dan Uggla hit a line drive single to shallow right, and for some reason that is still unclear, Gaby was waved home where he was promptly thrown out to end the inning. 

Anibal managed to hold the Phillies at bay through the fourth inning, but the trouble began again in the top half of the fifth. Rollins singled to lead off the inning, and Polanco singled as well. Ibanez followed their lead and singled himself, allowing Rollins to score as Mike Stanton airmailed the throw past home plate. After Anibal intentionally walked Gload, E-Rod had seen enough and decided to pull the plug on the starter.

Sanchy finished the night having allowed three runs on seven hits in just 4.1 innings, and Taylor Tankersley came on in relief. Tank got Polanco to fly out to right field, but the Phils got a run and were up 4-1 after their half of the inning.

The Fish scored a second run in the bottom of the fifth when Hanley, LoMo and Gaby hit consecutive singles, and Hanley scored to make it 4-2, Phillies. And then the Marlins bats decided to call it a night... I'm sort of wishing I had done the same.

Brian Sanches was out of the pen in the top of the sixth, and had a forgettable appearance on the mound. Sanches gave up a double to pitcher Kyle Kendrick, and then loaded up the bases on walks to Rollins and Polanco. Will Ohman replaced him, and a sac fly by Ibanez allowed Kendrick to score and increased Philadelphia's lead to 5-2 before the inning was over.

Ohman came back out and pitched a scoreless seventh, and Clay Hensley handled the top of the eighth. But in the meantime, the Phillies bullpen took care of business against the Fish as well.

In the bottom of the eighth, it looked like the Marlins might put something together against Ryan Madson. Gaby Sanchez hit his second double of the game to make it a 4-for-4 night, and Uggs followed with a walk. Both of them tagged on a deep fly by Cody to put runners at second and third with one out, but then the Marlins did what they'd been doing all night, and left them on base. Stanton and Uncle Wes struck out to end the inning.

Leo Nunez was in need of some work (as would very quickly become apparent), so he came in to pitch the ninth and promptly gave up singles to Ibanez and Werth to put runners at the corners with one out. With Dominic Brown at bat, Leo induced a ground ball for what should have been an inning-ending double play, but Dan Uggla committed a throwing error that had everybody safe, and allowed Ibanez to score. Carlos Ruiz then singled to score Werth, and Francisco walked before Leo finally got Valdez to ground out and Rollins to fly out to end the miserable inning.

It was on to the bottom of the ninth, where Brad Lidge took care of the Marlins 1-2-3, and the Marlins dropped their third straight game.