MLB Scores: Phillies 3 Marlins 1

It's something losing teams are long accustomed to: The proverbial tipping of the cap to your opponent who has just bested you. Over the course of a losing season (or seasons), you may grow numb to the announcers constantly saluting an opposing team's starting pitcher, when you and everyone else who follow the team closely know quite well that the real reason that pitcher looked so great is that your team sucks.

Now don't get me wrong. The Marlins don't suck. In fact, they've been quite good up at the plate this season, solidly among the upper third of major league teams in a variety of relevant hitting statistical categories.

Nor should we completely ignore Velasquez's contribution to the result of this game. Vince Velasquez is an excellent young pitcher, and while the Marlins got the best of him in Miami, Velasquez turned the tables last night.

It's not like the Marlins didn't have their chances, though. The Marlins don't suck. They just happened to suck tonight at one very important aspect of the game: Driving in runners in scoring position.

First inning

Marlins first and third with no one out. Three consecutive outs, no runs.

Second inning

Man on with no one out. Three consecutive outs, no runs.

Third inning

First and third with two outs. Strikeout, no runs.

Sixth inning

Man on with no one out. Three consecutive outs, no runs.

Seventh inning

Two on with one out. Couple K's later, no runs.

Ninth inning

The Marlins would load the bases in the ninth but could only muster a single run off of a Derek Dietrich sac fly.

I left the names out of the details, because the truth is that the failure with RISP this game was shared by the entire line-up. Most starters struck out twice, a couple of them struck out three times. Everyone who started the game struck out at least once (with the curious exception of Marcell Ozuna).

It just wasn't the Marlins night, and fortunately for Fish fans this season, we've seen more games like the first one in this series then we have the second.

Wei-Yin Chen, for his part, pitched a very Chen-like game, going six innings giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits, striking out six and walking none. He certainly pitched well enough to win, but as previously discussed, the line-up just couldn't pick him up tonight. Dustin McGowan was effective through two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three.

Game three today to determine who takes the series, Tom Koehler vs. Jeremy Hellickson, 1:05 ET.

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 18,140

Hero of the game: Vince Velasquez (.281)

Flounder of the game: Justin Bour (-.159)

Play of the game: Tommy Joseph solo shot in the second inning (.111)