GaryMrMets
07-29-2004, 04:02 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/9268669.htm
Posted on Thu, Jul. 29, 2004
Misery Against Marlins
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI - You could have heard a pin drop in the Phillies' clubhouse last night.
And a needle.
One night after Phillies lefthander Rheal Cormier likened the clubhouse's atmosphere to "pins and needles," the Florida Marlins handed the Phillies a 6-3 loss at Pro Player Stadium in a game with 1 hour, 13 minutes of rain delays. Marlins first baseman Hee Seop Choi crushed a two-out, three-run home run to right field off Phillies righthander Tim Worrell in the bottom of the eighth inning to win it.
"It's unbelievable," Phillies lefthander Pat Burrell said about the Phillies' inability to beat the Marlins. "I don't know what else to say. It seems like we play these guys good. They get some big hits, and we haven't been able to rise to the occasion. And if we're going to beat these guys, that's what we're going to have to do."
One night after Phillies manager Larry Bowa said he was embarrassed - and his players should be, too - the Phillies lost their 13th straight game on the road to those pesky Marlins. Elias Sports Bureau said that's the longest current losing streak by a big-league team against another, and it's the longest losing streak for the Phillies since they lost 12 straight games in San Francisco from 1998 to 2001.
The Phillies have not had a longer road losing streak against one team since 1947-48, when they lost 13 consecutive games in St. Louis. The franchise record is 22 consecutive games in St. Louis from 1930 to '32.
The Marlins, who are 10-1 against the Phillies this season and 22-3 in their last 25, can make it 14 straight and a series sweep with a victory this afternoon.
If that happens, who knows how Bowa might feel?
Mortified?
"Well, you [reporters] started some stuff yesterday, so we'll just say they get two-out hits," Bowa said. "They're a good two-out hit team. When you get two-out hits, you win... . They're uncanny in their two-out hits, especially against us. I don't know what they do against the rest of the league, but they get them against us."
The Phillies dropped to 52-49 and 21/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. They entered the night three games behind the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants and one game behind Chicago in the NL wild-card race.
Last year at this point, the Phillies dropped to 57-44 after a loss to the Marlins at Pro Player. Back then it was just their second-straight loss to the Marlins on the road. But back then the Phillies had a three-game lead over Arizona in the National League wild-card race.
"Every game is a big game when you're in the 60s [games to play]," Bowa said about today's series finale.
The Phillies had overcome a 3-0 deficit to almost snap their ineptitude.
Down by 3-2, Phillies second baseman Placido Polanco hit a leadoff single in the eighth inning off Marlins lefthander Matt Perisho.
Perisho struck out Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome, but Phillies leftfielder Pat Burrell, who has hit behind the two lefties for most of the season, hit a 1-2 pitch to left-center field for a long double that scored Polanco and tied it.
"It was a big hit for us," Bowa said.
The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first, and made it 3-0 in the third. Juan Pierre started it with a two-out single to center. He stole second, although Phillies pitcher Brett Myers walked Luis Castillo to put runners on first and second. Mike Lowell doubled to right-center to score both runners.
Then came the first rain delay, lasting 29 minutes.
But the Phillies began to come back. Abreu hit a leadoff double in the fourth, and moved to third on first baseman Thome's fielder's choice and scored on Burrell's fielder's choice.
In the sixth, second baseman Polanco and Abreu hit back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Marlins pitcher Brad Penny unexpectedly left the game because of a heat-related illness. Righthander Aaron Small came in for Penny, and allowed a single to right to Thome to score Abreu and make it 3-2.
Myers left after he walked Lowell and Miguel Cabrera to start the sixth. And like Bowa said Tuesday, he had no choice but to use Brian Powell and Josh Hancock.
Powell worked out of a one-out, first-and-third jam in the sixth when Choi flied out to short center and centerfielder Ricky Ledee threw out Lowell at the plate to end the inning.
Hancock, who replaced righthander Ryan Madson on the roster after he had to be placed on the disabled list Tuesday, pitched a scoreless seventh after the game's second rain delay.
With the game tied, Worrell (3-4) came in to keep the score that way until the Phillies offense could score again.
But this is the Marlins.
Of course, that didn't happen.
Posted on Thu, Jul. 29, 2004
Misery Against Marlins
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI - You could have heard a pin drop in the Phillies' clubhouse last night.
And a needle.
One night after Phillies lefthander Rheal Cormier likened the clubhouse's atmosphere to "pins and needles," the Florida Marlins handed the Phillies a 6-3 loss at Pro Player Stadium in a game with 1 hour, 13 minutes of rain delays. Marlins first baseman Hee Seop Choi crushed a two-out, three-run home run to right field off Phillies righthander Tim Worrell in the bottom of the eighth inning to win it.
"It's unbelievable," Phillies lefthander Pat Burrell said about the Phillies' inability to beat the Marlins. "I don't know what else to say. It seems like we play these guys good. They get some big hits, and we haven't been able to rise to the occasion. And if we're going to beat these guys, that's what we're going to have to do."
One night after Phillies manager Larry Bowa said he was embarrassed - and his players should be, too - the Phillies lost their 13th straight game on the road to those pesky Marlins. Elias Sports Bureau said that's the longest current losing streak by a big-league team against another, and it's the longest losing streak for the Phillies since they lost 12 straight games in San Francisco from 1998 to 2001.
The Phillies have not had a longer road losing streak against one team since 1947-48, when they lost 13 consecutive games in St. Louis. The franchise record is 22 consecutive games in St. Louis from 1930 to '32.
The Marlins, who are 10-1 against the Phillies this season and 22-3 in their last 25, can make it 14 straight and a series sweep with a victory this afternoon.
If that happens, who knows how Bowa might feel?
Mortified?
"Well, you [reporters] started some stuff yesterday, so we'll just say they get two-out hits," Bowa said. "They're a good two-out hit team. When you get two-out hits, you win... . They're uncanny in their two-out hits, especially against us. I don't know what they do against the rest of the league, but they get them against us."
The Phillies dropped to 52-49 and 21/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. They entered the night three games behind the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants and one game behind Chicago in the NL wild-card race.
Last year at this point, the Phillies dropped to 57-44 after a loss to the Marlins at Pro Player. Back then it was just their second-straight loss to the Marlins on the road. But back then the Phillies had a three-game lead over Arizona in the National League wild-card race.
"Every game is a big game when you're in the 60s [games to play]," Bowa said about today's series finale.
The Phillies had overcome a 3-0 deficit to almost snap their ineptitude.
Down by 3-2, Phillies second baseman Placido Polanco hit a leadoff single in the eighth inning off Marlins lefthander Matt Perisho.
Perisho struck out Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome, but Phillies leftfielder Pat Burrell, who has hit behind the two lefties for most of the season, hit a 1-2 pitch to left-center field for a long double that scored Polanco and tied it.
"It was a big hit for us," Bowa said.
The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first, and made it 3-0 in the third. Juan Pierre started it with a two-out single to center. He stole second, although Phillies pitcher Brett Myers walked Luis Castillo to put runners on first and second. Mike Lowell doubled to right-center to score both runners.
Then came the first rain delay, lasting 29 minutes.
But the Phillies began to come back. Abreu hit a leadoff double in the fourth, and moved to third on first baseman Thome's fielder's choice and scored on Burrell's fielder's choice.
In the sixth, second baseman Polanco and Abreu hit back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Marlins pitcher Brad Penny unexpectedly left the game because of a heat-related illness. Righthander Aaron Small came in for Penny, and allowed a single to right to Thome to score Abreu and make it 3-2.
Myers left after he walked Lowell and Miguel Cabrera to start the sixth. And like Bowa said Tuesday, he had no choice but to use Brian Powell and Josh Hancock.
Powell worked out of a one-out, first-and-third jam in the sixth when Choi flied out to short center and centerfielder Ricky Ledee threw out Lowell at the plate to end the inning.
Hancock, who replaced righthander Ryan Madson on the roster after he had to be placed on the disabled list Tuesday, pitched a scoreless seventh after the game's second rain delay.
With the game tied, Worrell (3-4) came in to keep the score that way until the Phillies offense could score again.
But this is the Marlins.
Of course, that didn't happen.