The Sports Xchange
By Walter Villa, The Sports Xchange
Phillies 7, Marlins 3
MIAMI — Ryan Howard scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning and added a two-run single in the seventh to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins Tuesday night in front of 13,996 at Marlins Park.
Howard finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBI as the Phillies (22-24) improved their road record to 11-12.
Had the Marlins won, they would have tied a season high with their third straight win. Instead, the last-place Marlins sank to 13-33, including 2-6 on their current homestand that concludes Wednesday.
Facing reliever Duane Below, Howard started the Phillies’ winning rally by beating the shift with a single to right. He reached third on a double by Delmon Young and scored on Domonic Brown’s grounder to second.
The Phillies opened the seventh with an infield single by Jimmy Rollins and a bunt single by Ben Revere.
Reliever Ryan Webb came in and allowed Michael Young’s infield single to load the bases with no outs. Howard then got a 2-1 pitch and smacked it out to right field to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead.
The Phillies tacked on two more runs in the inning on a run-scoring ground out by Young and a run-scoring double by Brown.
The win went to young right-hander Tyler Cloyd (1-0). The 2012 Class AAA International League Pitcher of the Year, Cloyd went seven innings and lasted 105 pitches, allowing eight hits and two runs.
Since making his big-league debut last August, Cloyd, 26, is 3-2.
The Phillies struck first. With one out in the fourth, Young belted a 2-2 pitch for a 399-foot solo homer to left field.
The Marlins’ Placido Polanco hit a leadoff double in the fifth and advanced to third on a grounder to second base by Rob Brantly. Marlins manager Mike Redmond decided to lift rookie starter Jose Fernandez for a pinch hitter, and the move paid off when Jordan Brown hit a sacrifice fly to left, tying the score 1-1.
Fernandez threw 79 pitches, 52 of them for strikes. He walked one and also gave up a double and three singles in addition to Young’s homer.
In 18 innings against the Phillies this season, Fernandez has allowed a combined total of eight hits and one run.
NOTES: Phillies 1B Howard, who missed Monday’s game due to a sore left knee, was back in the starting lineup. Howard, who has $85 million remaining on his $125 million contract, missed most of last season due to a left Achilles tendon injury. The Phillies are hoping this is not the start of chronic knee issues for one of their key players. … Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton is scheduled to take batting practice Wednesday as he attempts to recover from a hamstring injury. He has been on the disabled list since April 30. … Marlins RHP Nathan Eovaldi is expected to throw a bullpen session Saturday. He is recovering from a shoulder injury and could return by mid-June. … Marlins RHP Henderson Alvarez, who has been out all season due to a shoulder injury, threw 20 pitches off a mound Tuesday. He is at least a month away from returning.
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