Vance Worley shines as Philadelphia Phillies defeat Florida Marlins 1-0 – MLB Update
Vance Worley threw seven strong innings on Monday, July 4 to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 1-0 at Sun Life Stadium.
Worley threw the whole Marlins’ offence in confusion with his unplayable fastballs to win the first victory in the three-game series.
With such a fantastic performance, the starter of the Phillies won kudos. “He's aggressive," said manager Charlie Manuel. "He stays focused, keeps a level head, doesn't panic. I've seen him get hit a couple of times, and he handled it pretty good."
Ricky Nolasco started the game as he pitched against the Marlins, allowing a hit to Chase Utley. He did not allow any run to the Phillies’ hitters, in an attempt to contain the offence.
Topping the National League East Standings with 54 wins, the Phillies combine an enviable combination of defence and offence, allowing 279 runs and scoring 346 so far in the season. Florida is last in the ranking with only 38 wins.
Worley has only played 10 games in the season, pitching 49 innings. Although his record may not make a good read, he is a budding talent that the Phillies have recognised quite rightly.
Worley’s start was way different as inning after inning he remained hitless and hardly providing any space to the Marlins’ hitters to score. The innings he pitched were beyond any shadow of a doubt, strong and unplayable.
“We want him to keep pitching. He’ll be back to pitch in the New York series," assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said. "We just didn’t want him to sit for 10 days without pitching."
While Nolasco was not an easy rival either for the Phillies’ Worley, Michael Martinez turned the tide in the seventh inning. Having scored only seven runs in the 40 games Martinez has played this season, he singled to centre to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead
in the game.
Emboldened by the resurgence of the offence, Worley played his role by pitching the seventh scoreless inning to keep the lead intact. The relief pitcher, Michael Stutes, who replaced Worley, pitched a shut-out eighth inning to keep the Phillies in a much
stronger position.
Unlike the Marlins’ pitchers who gave up six hits, the Phillies pitching combination only gave up two hits in the whole game. Bastardo threw a hitless and scoreless ninth inning to perfect the 1-0 lead into win for the Phillies in the first of the three-game
series.
The Phillies put in a brilliant performance as their pitching line-up managed to contain the Marlins’ offence. Florida will be looking to improve their performance, as the season has reached the half-way mark.
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