Marlins Thumped By Phillies 14-2
MIAMI (AP) - An intentional walk to Ryan Howard with a runner at first backfired when the next four hitters singled, and the Philadelphia Phillies went on to drub the Florida Marlins 14-2 on Tuesday night.
After Marlins manager Jack McKeon opted to walk Howard with the game scoreless in the third, the Phillies scored five times in the inning. When the Marlins pitched to Howard an inning later, he hit his 18th home run, and he finished with four hits and four RBIs.
Raul Ibanez hit his 10th homer and drove in four runs for the Phillies, who achieved season highs in runs and hits (18).
Cole Hamels (10-4) allowed two runs in eight innings to join teammate Roy Halladay as a 10-game winner. The appearance was the first by Hamels since he left a game Thursday after taking a line drive off his right palm, and he won for the first time in his past four starts.
Ibanez and Wilson Valdez each had a two-run single in the third inning. Jimmy Rollins had four hits and scored three times, and Michael Martinez's bases-loaded triple hiked his average to .189.
Howard had a run-scoring infield single in the sixth and an RBI double in the ninth. He also singled in the eighth when the umpires reversed their original call and ruled his looping liner had been trapped in left field by a diving Logan Morrison.
The Phillies capped their big night with a six-run ninth, mustering plenty of offense even without All-Star third baseman Placido Polanco and center fielder Shane Victorino. Polanco sat out because of a sore back that has been bothering him in recent weeks, and Victorino returned to Philadelphia to have his injured right thumb examined by a specialist.
The Phils, who have baseball's best record, are assured of winning their fifth series in a row. They won for the 21st time in 25 games at Miami since September 2008.
Chris Volstad (4-8) gave up nine hits and seven runs in four innings. John Buck hit a two-run homer for Florida, his ninth.
The Phillies had runners at first and third with one out in the third when McKeon ordered Howard walked. Howard came into the game with seven home runs in 24 at-bats against Volstad.
After the walk loaded the bases, Volstad gave up four singles in a span of seven pitches. Ibanez hit a two-run single, Carlos Ruiz singled to reload the bases, Domonic Brown singled to score Howard, and Valdez hit a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.
When Volstad pitched to Howard an inning later, he hit a two-out, two-run homer.
Howard's lifetime average against Volstad remained at .500. Ibanez improved to .480 against the right-hander, and Ruiz climbed to .450.
Volstad fell to 2-5 with an ERA of 5.88 in 12 games against the Phillies.
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