Phillies successful in defeating Marlins in the first match of the three game series - (Part 1)
The Philadelphia Phillies have been on top of the weekly Power Rankings for the third consecutive week for a reason. They have proved that they belong on top and have been successful in grabbing one win after another.
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Florida Marlins, 6-4, on Monday night, May 10th, at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
There were over eleven thousand fans in attendance which meant that almost thirty percent of the stadium was occupied. This is the eighteenth victory for Philadelphia out of twenty one matches they have played in Miami.
Eric Cooper was the umpire at the home plate. Mark Carlson, Tim Timmons and Jeff Kellogg were umpiring at the first base, the second base and the third base, respectively.
Throughout the match, it was visible that the Marlins had trouble chasing and catching the ball. Marlins’ incompetency, along with the Phillies turning four double plays behind Joe Blanton, secured the win for Philadelphia.
Blanton had just come off from the Disabled List as he pitched five innings and won his first season victory.
Blanton commented how double play led him to success. "They say the double plays a pitcher's best friend, and it really was tonight, it helped me out a lot."
Jimmy Rollins, the shortstop for the Phil’s and Pete Orr, the second baseman, have been fielding exceptionally well since the season began and the fact that their team is leading the Major League with regard to fielding, shows how good they have been.
Both of them played a significant role in three of the double plays that helped the Phillies win the match.
Charlie Manuel identified his team’s strengths, saying, "Our trademark the past four or five years is we play solid defense".
Though, the exact opposite can be easily said about the Marlins and their defense. They have showed considerable improvement this season, but it still hasn’t been good enough, evident of their Monday night’s performance.
The Marlins are being criticised from every angle about their lack of defense but their manager, Edwin Rodriguez, is sure that the problem would not be repeated in future. "I don't think that is going to happen too often".
A perfect example of their careless defense could be seen when Jimmy Rollins hit a home run and the right fielder, Mike Stanton, jumped to get the ball, but it deflected off his glove and ended up clearing the wall.
A mistake like this can be costly to any team, especially if it is repeated time and again.
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