The Phillies swept the Marlins in the final series between the two teams and took the season series as well. Monday night was pretty much the 'turn and burn' game, with lots of offense powered by home runs by Werth, Utley, Ruiz, and Dobbs. Ryan Howard, who did not homer, reached RBI 100 on the season, for his fifth consecutive year of 100 or more RBI.
Starter Joe Blanton, who very quietly continues to look like his sturdy old self, went six innings, giving up just one run and striking out nine. He was matched against lefty Andrew Miller, who started out sharp but crumbled after the first homer of the game, by Jayson Werth. Miller, by the bye, had shaved off his ridiculous mustache and was looking dishy. Great haircut, but he still took the 11-4 loss.
Game 2 was all Cole Hamels, who was again brilliant. Hamels went 6.2 innings, striking out 13, which matched his career high. The offense provided just enough in the 2-1 win.
Roy Halladay was again not at his sharpest but got lots of back-up in a game that seemed to go on forever. The Phillies were up 6-0 in the third, 8-1 in the fourth, and 9-1 in the fifth. And the game dragged on to a 10-5 conclusion. Halladay went six innings, giving up three runs on 10 hits and striking out nine. He now has 210 K's for the season and also leads the NL with 19 wins. Why Madson and Lidge were in the game late is beyond me. I did not get what Charlie Manuel, Rch Dubee, and company were thinking.
Pulling off a sweep in Florida is not easy and to be sure the Phillies were helped by the Marlins' pitching staff, which this week is decimated by injuries and suspensions. Maybe the biggest challenge the Phillies faced this series was the dismal attendance, supposedly around 19,000 for each game but in truth nowhere near that for the series.
The Marlins are a relentless offensive team with some good young pitching. They seem to be working the same model that the Phillies had when they were building a new stadium. Build the team so that it is ready for the new park. You still have to wonder, though, if Florida will ever really support major league baseball.
