Game two of the Marlins series with the Cardinals was the strangest game we've seen so far this season. To fully understand, you need to watch it. To be partially informed, here are some high/lowlights:
It just wasn't Anibal Sanchez's night, and a two-run shot by Matt Holliday put the Cardinals in the lead in the bottom of the first. In the second, Anibal loaded up the bases on a walk, a single and an error by Hanley, and then walked in the Cardinal's third run of the game before he got out of the inning.
The Marlins scored two runs in the third, without getting a hit. Kyle McClellan walked John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio, and when Anibal showed bunt on the first pitch, the Cards put on the wheel play. On the next pitch, Sanchez faked the bunt and swung instead. It was a one-hop to the pitcher, who decided to throw to second to start a DP. Only thanks to the wheel play, nobody was on second. By the time someone was, Boni was safe, and the relay throw to first wasn't in time to get Sanchez. Buck scored on Coghlan's groundout, and with Omar Infante batting, Boni scored on a wild pitch, and the Marlins pulled within a run.
In the top of the fourth, the Marlins took the lead on four consecutive singles by Gaby Sanchez Mike Stanton, Gregg Dobbs and John Buck.
The Cardinals erased the lead in the fifth after Matt Holiday singled, Lance Berkman walked, and Colby Rasmus tied things up with an RBI single. Anibal continued to struggle, and walked Daniel Descalso to load the bases with one out. That was it for Anibal, and since The Hopper can't be called up from AAA to come in and get us a ground ball out when we need one, Edward Mujica did his best to channel Hop and induced a comebacker to the mound which he threw to first for the double play.
Two innings later, the Fish would regain the lead. Hanley Ramirez singled, and Gaby Sanchez drove him in with a single to put the Marlins back on top, 5-4.
Their lead was short lived. Again.
Clay Hensley came out to pitch the seventh, walked Lance Berkman and gave up a single to Colby Rasmus to put two on for Daniel Descalso. Descalso took that opportunity to hit his first Big League home run on a Big Mistake pitch from Clay, and the Cards were back on top, 7-5.
I'll spare you the rest of the details. Suffice it to say, the Fish lost.
The end.