Philadelphia Phillies vs Florida Marlins
When ? 07 September, 2010 – 07:05 pm
Where ? Citizens Bank Park
Pitchers: Blanton vs Volstad
“It’s just been the inconsistency of our offense,” manager Charlie Manuel said. is on a 14-game hitting streak, during which he’s batting .471 with five homers, 14 RBIs and seven steals. It’s the All-Star shortstop’s longest run since a career-high 16-game streak Aug. 5-21, 2009. He’s seen his last four starts against the Phillies result in losses for the Marlins, while he’s gone 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA. Philadelphia (79-60) has won consecutive NL pennants, and adding a third appeared unlikely as late as July 21 with the club third in the division, seven games behind first-place Atlanta. The right-hander was pounded for six runs and 10 hits, including a season high-tying three homers, in 4 1/3 innings of a 12-11 win at Colorado on Thursday. He had been 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA over his seven previous starts, giving up two earned runs or fewer in five of them. Those trends were evident in a doubleheader split with the Marlins (70-67) in the start of this four-game series Monday. The Phillies were held to three hits in a 7-1 loss before collecting 10 in a 7-4 victory in the second game. Less than two months ago, the didn’t appear to be a factor in the NL East race. Now, they’re on the brink of taking sole possession of first place. The Phillies haven’t been alone atop the division since May 30, but winning 31 of 45 has them within one-half game of the Braves. ‘s contributions have been significant over the last 45 games. The third baseman is batting .343 with 15 RBIs in the victories over that stretch, while posting a .157 average with two RBIs in the losses. Unlike the Phillies, the Marlins’ playoff hopes are dimming after splitting their last 10 games. We will post information about results of this match, as soon as posible.