Josh Johnson shines as Florida Marlins defeat Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 – Part 1
Josh Johnson put in a brilliant performance as Florida Marlins defeated Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Sun Life Stadium, Miami on May 10.
This particular match between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins was much awaited and it proved to be as explosive as one had expected. The Phillies boast of one of the best pitching rotations in all of Major League as they have the likes
of Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay in their line-up. Their pitching line-up is the highest rated and most feared in the MLB.
When one of these pitchers is expected to go against another pitcher who is of the same calibre as them, it is guaranteed to be an entertaining match. That is what happened as the current Cy Young winner, Halladay of the Phillies went up against Josh Johnson
of the Marlins. Both players are rated as some of the most talented pitchers currently in the Major Leagues.
It was a match-up of aces that was thoroughly entertaining for avid baseball fans. By the end of it all, the Marlins secured victory over Philadelphia. Watching both pitchers battle it out, provided for a brilliant display of throwing prowess by some of
the top players in the MLB.
"When you have those two horses going, you know it's a battle because you're going to have to scratch and claw for every run," said Chris Coghlan, who had the game-winning RBI.
This was the third time that the two aces faced off since Halladay joined the Phillies’ rotation last year. Halladay delivered a perfect game in this series, but lost in the other two match-ups. Both pitchers combined numbers are mind boggling.
Johnson currently has a 0.65 ERA in the four starts against Halladay which is the third lowest ERA in starts against the same pitcher among active players.
Johnson was successful in keeping his team afloat against the aggressive Phillies. He only allowed one run to pass him by in the seven innings that he superbly pitched. The run that he allowed was Ryan Howard’s homer that was belted out in the second inning.
"It seemed like I kept getting behind guys," Johnson said. "You've got to find a way to battle."
Coghlan’s single in the eighth inning led to the tie breaking run after an unearned error by short-stop Jimmy Rollins. It will be interesting to see how Johnson and the Marlins manage to carry their winning momentum into their next match-up. The Phillies
played well and put in a decent performance, but it was not enough to contain the Marlins on this night.
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