Marlins scores, recaps

[Solair Wright]

Here is where the scores of the remainder of the 2007 Marlins season goes.

[Solair Wright]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Aaron Rowand homered, keeping Florida starter Dontrelle Willis winless in his last 13 starts and leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-4 win over the Marlins on Wednesday night.

Not even a two-run homer by Willis (7-12) could save the former 20-game winner from extending the longest losing streak of his career. He's 0-9 with four no-decisions while the Marlins have gone 3-10 in his outings since his last victory on May 29 at the Chicago Cubs.

Willis' seventh career homer staked the Marlins to a 2-1 lead in the third. Then the Marlins wilted in the 95-degree temperature, while the Phillies kept pace in their hunt for the NL East and wild-card lead.

Kyle Lohse (7-12) was solid on a sticky evening in his second start for the Phillies. He gave up Miguel Cabrera's 28th homer, but stayed away from the line drives that knocked him out of his last start. He left after one inning in his Phillies debut with a bruised right forearm after he was hit by a liner.

He exited this one after 6 1-3 innings and the Phillies holding a 6-3 lead. He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three to help Philadelphia win its third straight game.

Antonio Alfonseca and Tom Gordon preserved the lead in relief, and Brett Myers worked the ninth for his eighth save.

Much like Willis did an inning earlier, Lohse helped his own cause with the bat in the third. He poked an RBI single to right that put the Phillies up 3-2. Jimmy Rollins, who hit a sacrifice fly in the second, added a run-scoring single to center to make it 4-2.

No surprise that Lohse, acquired in a trade deadline deal from Cincinnati, drove home a run on a hit. Phillies pitchers lead baseball with 41 hits and have 12 RBIs.

Willis, who gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings, worked his way out of some jams early to at least give himself a shot at that elusive eighth victory. The Phillies left 14 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the first and at least two on in every inning except the fifth and eighth.

Willis was chased in the sixth after Ryan Howard hit a long single to left -- the Phillies MVP thought the ball would hook foul and stood at home plate before sprinting to first.

Justin Miller came in, and Rowand hit Miller's second pitch deep into the Phillies bullpen for his 18th homer of the season and a 6-3 lead. Bullpen coach Ramon Henderson stuffed the ball in his pants pocket for safe keeping.

Notes

Marlins CF Alejandro De Aza was activated from the disabled list after missing nearly four months with an ankle injury. De Aza, a rookie, started on opening day and batted .303 in nine games before being sidelined. RHP Carlos Martinez was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque and OF Joe Borchard was designated for assignment. He batted .196 in 85 games. RHP Logan Kensing, trying to return from elbow ligament replacement surgery, was activated from the DL and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... 2B Chase Utley (broken hand) will see another specialist on Monday. ... How hot was it? Phillies manager Charlie Manuel met with the media before the game in his office instead of his usual spot in the dugout.

[Solair Wright]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A few days off didn't hurt Josh Willingham's swing.

Willingham homered and drove in two runs in his return to Florida's lineup, leading the Marlins to a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.

Pinch-hitter Alfredo Amezaga drove in the tiebreaking run on a fielder's choice grounder with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to help Florida avoid a three-game sweep.

Willingham, who hadn't played since Saturday because of kidney stones, had a solo homer and an RBI grounder.

"It took my legs a while to get loose, but other than that I felt good," he said. "I took a few more first pitches just because I hadn't seen much of anything in the last four days."

Greg Dobbs had a tying, two-run double in the sixth for Philadelphia in a game played through a steady rain most of the night. The Phillies remained four games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets and one behind San Diego in the wild-card race.

Taylor Tankersley (5-1) pitched a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg finished for his 24th save in 26 chances.

Mike Jacobs snapped a team-record 0-for-33 slump with a single leading off the Florida ninth against Brett Myers (2-4). Miguel Olivo reached on a bunt single when second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was late covering first base.

Iguchi said through a translator that he slipped on his way to the bag.

"It's very upsetting the way it turned out," he said.

After Jeremy Hermida walked to load the bases, Iguchi made a diving stop and retired Hermida at second on Amezaga's hard grounder up the middle. But pinch-runner Cody Ross scored to make it 3-2.

Hanley Ramirez followed with another fielder's choice grounder, barely beating shortstop Jimmy Rollins' relay throw to avoid a double play and give the Marlins a 4-2 lead.

Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Kendrick pitches against the Florida Marlins in the first inning of their baseball game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007, in Philadelphia.

"I couldn't throw a strike," Myers said. "I tried to get out of the inning. It just didn't work out."

The Phillies wasted another solid outing from Kyle Kendrick, a pleasant surprise since replacing injured Freddy Garcia in the rotation.

The rookie right-hander allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He threw only 71 pitches. Kendrick is 5-2 with a 3.75 ERA and the Phillies are 7-4 in his starts.

"It's frustrating," Kendrick said.

Marlins starter Sergio Mitre cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two hits. But he ran into trouble in the sixth after Iguchi and Pat Burrell hit consecutive singles with one out. Ryan Howard bounced out to second, but Aaron Rowand walked to load the bases.

Dobbs then hit a drive to center that took one bounce off the rain-soaked warning track and went over the fence for a ground-rule double that tied the score at 2.

Rowand easily would've scored if the ball remained in play, but had to stay at third base. Jayson Werth popped out to first, stranding both runners.

Mitre allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. He's lost only once since July 2.

Ramirez singled leading off the fourth, stole second and scored on Willingham's grounder.

Willingham lined his 17th homer, an opposite-field shot into the right-field seats on an 0-2 pitch to make it 2-0 in the sixth.

"Willingham got a big hit and made some good plays in the field," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

The Marlins nearly took a lead in the eighth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Dan Uggla hit a soft blooper that fell near second base for an infield single. Iguchi picked it up, avoided a collision with Rollins and threw out Alejandro De Aza trying to score from second base to end the inning.

Notes

The Phillies sent RHP Geoff Geary to Triple-A Ottawa to make room for utility player Russell Branyan, who was acquired from Cleveland for cash. ... Jacobs' previous hit was a single against San Francisco on July 28. ... The Phillies are 8-5 since losing All-Star second baseman Chase Utley to an injury. ... Burrell slammed his bat to the ground and broke it after striking out to leave two runners on in the seventh.

[Solair Wright]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Billy Wagner barely got out of trouble in his previous outing. Not this time.

Hanley Ramirez hit a go-ahead, two-run double off Wagner in the ninth inning and the Florida Marlins rallied past the New York Mets 4-3 on Friday night.

"Just one of those nights where I didn't make the pitches," Wagner said. "I was trying to go up and in. It was probably more middle. I'm just not locating very well."

Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer in his return from the disabled list, giving the Mets the 3-2 lead they handed to Wagner (1-1) in the ninth. After entering with a streak of 21 scoreless innings, he couldn't hold it.

Miguel Olivo hit a leadoff single and pinch-hitter Jason Wood walked with one out. Ramirez, who began the day leading the NL with a .340 batting average, drove a 1-2 pitch over Beltran's head in center field to score both runners. The 2006 NL Rookie of the Year pumped his fist as he pulled into second base.

"I like the pressure moments," Ramirez said. "I was looking for a mistake and I got it."

It was Wagner's second blown save in 28 chances this season. The left-hander escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam to save a 4-3 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night. He hadn't allowed a run in 20 outings since June 15.

"Billy's been outstanding all year. You expect him to close the game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said.

Matt Lindstrom (2-3), a former Mets farmhand, worked a scoreless inning for the win and Kevin Gregg got three quick outs for his 25th save in 27 opportunities. He retired Luis Castillo, Beltran and David Wright in order.

Josh Willingham and Jeremy Hermida each had an RBI single. Ramirez also scored and stole a career-best three bases for the Marlins, who could have fallen into last place with a loss.

"It feels good because we need it," Ramirez said. "I don't like to be in last place."

Daniel Barone had a chance to win his major league debut for Florida, taking a 2-0 lead into the fifth before bad defense and a bad pitch did him in on an unseasonably damp, chilly night at Shea Stadium.

Florida Marlins' Miguel Olivo, left, congratulates pitcher Kevin Gregg after the Marlins defeated the New York Mets, 4-3, in their baseball game, Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, at Shea Stadium in New York.

Jose Reyes led off and reached on a throwing error by second baseman Dan Uggla, the Marlins' 94th error this season. They began the day leading the majors in that category.

Castillo followed with a bunt single that third baseman Miguel Cabrera was slow to field, and Beltran drove a 2-1 pitch to right-center for his 20th home run.

The star slugger had been out since July 25 because of a strained muscle on his left side. The NL East leaders waited to see how Beltran felt after working out Friday afternoon before deciding whether he would play. About 40 minutes before the scheduled first pitch, the team announced he had been activated.

"I feel great. It's bad that we lost, but I'm happy that I'm back," Beltran said. "I was driving my wife crazy."

Brian Lawrence, the latest Mets pitcher trying to secure the No. 5 spot in the rotation, settled down after a shaky start. He lasted six innings, allowing two runs and eight hits while striking out six in his second start for New York since being called up from Triple-A New Orleans. He beat Milwaukee 12-4 last Thursday.

"Brian did a good job," Randolph said. "He showed when he hits his spots, he can be pretty good. He's had two quality starts."

Moises Alou's two-out infield single in the fifth chased Barone, called up from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day. The 24-year-old right-hander from California shook hands with his new teammates in the clubhouse about 2 1/2 hours before the game and had a vocal cheering section behind the plate that included his family and girlfriend.

He allowed two earned runs and five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

"Emotions were fine. They were perfect. Just after the first pitch, it was a lot better," Barone said. "It's a dream to me still right now. It really hasn't hit me."

Barone's grandfather, Dick Barone, played three games for Pittsburgh in 1960, going 0-for-6 in his only big league at-bats. He took home a World Series ring after the Pirates upset the New York Yankees.

Ramirez opened the game with a single and stole two bases before scoring on Willingham's bloop single. Hermida added an RBI single in the second, but Florida left the bases loaded when Cabrera grounded weakly to Lawrence on a checked swing.

Notes

RHP Ross Wolf also made his big league debut when he relieved Barone and retired his only batter. ... The Mets placed utility player Marlon Anderson on the bereavement list. Anderson traveled to Alabama for his grandmother's funeral. ... The Marlins optioned RHP Mauro Zarate to Albuquerque. ... The gametime temperature was a blustery 61 degrees.

[Solair Wright]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Miguel Cabrera and Josh Willingham were two of the last Florida Marlins to leave the field Saturday night. They might have been looking for more Mets relievers to feast on.

Cabrera hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Willingham had his first career grand slam and the Florida Marlins rallied for a 7-5 victory over New York.

"We left a lot of runs out there early but it was good to come through late," Willingham said.

Willingham went 3-for-5 and tied a career high with five RBIs for Florida, which has won three straight and five of seven. Willingham also drove in five runs in the Marlins' 5-2 victory over New York at Shea Stadium on May 1.

Mets left-hander Tom Glavine allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings in his first start since becoming the 23rd member of the 300-win club. The home crowd cheered his every move, giving him a standing ovation as he warmed up before the first inning.

David Wright homered twice for NL East-leading New York, which has absorbed three straight difficult losses. It was Wright's ninth career multihomer game and first since May 19 against the New York Yankees.

"It's easy to point fingers at the bullpen, but we've got to do a better job of providing a cushion late in the game," Wright said. "We've got to do a better job of burying them early in the game."

Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca aggravated his strained right hamstring and left in the seventh inning. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and Mike DiFelice will be recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

Florida loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth and Cabrera lined a 1-2 pitch from Aaron Heilman (7-4) into right-center. Cody Ross and Hanley Ramirez scored to give the Marlins a 7-5 lead.

"I know he's got good stuff so I'm glad he threw me a fastball," Cabrera said. "I tried to throw my hands inside."

Justin Miller (4-0) got the win despite allowing three hits and two runs, one earned, in the seventh. Taylor Tankersley pitched a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg got three outs for his 26th save and third in three nights. He struck out pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran with a runner on to end it.

The Mets have lost four of their last five, including three straight dramatic setbacks at home. They scored three runs in the ninth inning but lost to Atlanta 7-6 Thursday when left fielder Willie Harris robbed Carlos Delgado of a game-tying homer. The Marlins handed Billy Wagner his second blown save of the season in a 4-3 win Friday night.

"Coming on the heels of last night and the last game against the Braves, we've got to turn things around," Glavine said. "Anytime you are in a tight division race and you are on a homestand you've got to take care of business."

Glavine, who beat the Cubs last Sunday at Wrigley Field for career win No. 300, did his best to stop the skid. He allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked one before departing with a runner on first and the Mets leading 3-1.

Guillermo Mota replaced him and allowed a single to Ramirez before striking out Alejandro De Aza. Mota walked Cabrera intentionally and fell behind 2-0 to Willingham, who drove his next pitch out to left for his 18th homer.

"Once you got 2-0, I can look for a pitch in a certain spot," Willingham said. "He threw it in that area and I was able to hit it pretty well."

New York pushed across two runs in the bottom half to tie it and almost went in front but Jose Reyes was tagged out trying to score on Wright's foulout to right. Replays indicated he was safe, and Mets manager Willie Randolph briefly argued with plate umpire Alfonso Marquez.

"I thought he was easily safe," Randolph said. "The guy swiped at him."

Florida almost went in front early but Glavine worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the fourth. First baseman Delgado fielded tappers by Dan Uggla and Mike Jacobs and threw home both times to get forceouts. Miguel Olivo then bounced to shortstop to end the inning.

"He made some pitches and we weren't able to get to him," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But we got to the bullpen, I guess."

Willingham singled home a run in the sixth but Wright homered in the bottom half to make it 3-1. He has 22 homers and 74 RBIs this season.

Scott Olsen pitched six innings for Florida, allowing three runs and seven hits.

Notes

Beltran came off the DL on Friday after sitting out with a strained muscle on his left side. Randolph said the switch-hitter isn't where he wants to be when he bats right-handed so he decided to rest him against the lefty Olsen. ... Mets RHP Pedro Martinez, working his way back from shoulder surgery, is probably going to make his second minor league rehab start on Tuesday in Florida. ... Florida has faced three 300-game winners in franchise history (Glavine, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens). ... Cabrera swiped second in the eighth for his first stolen base since Sept. 4 against Arizona. ... New York will pay tribute to Glavine in a pregame ceremony Sunday.

[Solair Wright]

NEW YORK (AP) -- After the Mets endured tough losses the previous two nights because of bullpen meltdowns, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner were hoping for a chance to redeem themselves.

So it was appropriate that the New York bullpen found itself in another squeaker Sunday against Florida. This time, Heilman, Wagner and Co. came through, giving the Mets a chance to get the bats going late in a confidence-building 10-4 win over the Marlins.

"It's always good when you get the opportunity to pitch the next day," said Heilman, who gave up an eighth-inning, two-run single to Miguel Cabrera in a 7-5 loss Saturday night. "You can't let yesterday affect today."

This time, Moises Alou's second home run of the game gave the Mets a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Jorge Sosa (8-6) then pitched the second of his two scoreless innings, Heilman worked a perfect eighth and Wagner closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth for the Mets, who avoided a three-game sweep.

"The guys are very capable," Wagner said. "A lot of the things that happened the last few nights were very flukish."

Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado also homered for the first-place Mets, who snapped a three-game skid and finished a disappointing homestand with a 2-4 record against NL East rivals Atlanta and Florida.

"It wasn't the homestand we wanted, but we got it done in the end," manager Willie Randolph said.

Hanley Ramirez hit a leadoff homer for the Marlins, who had won three straight.

"It was just too bad we couldn't close this one out, but taking two out of three here is a good thing for us. It's a good team over here, a tough environment here. It was a good series for us," Marlins first baseman Jason Wood said.

Alou, who had three hits, erased a 1-0 deficit in the second with a three-run shot off Rick Vandenhurk. In the sixth, Alou lined his second home run to left off Lee Gardner (3-3).

Alou has seven home runs this season -- and three two-homer games. It was his 31st career multihomer game.

"I feel good at the plate right now," Alou said. "Unfortunately, we had a rough series. It's nice to go into a day off with a victory."

New York Mets Carlos Delgado watches his eighth inning two-run home run off Florida Marlins Taylor Tankersley in the Mets 10-4 win over the Marlins in their baseball game at Shea Stadium in New York, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007. Marlins catcher Matt Treanor watches the action, left.

But after three straight difficult losses, this victory was far from pretty for the Mets. Backup catcher Ramon Castro left with an injury on the same day starter Paul Lo Duca went on the disabled list because of a strained right hamstring, and the near-capacity crowd sat through some sloppy play in the field.

On a play at the plate in the third, Castro was unable to hold onto right fielder Shawn Green's throw that would have nailed Cody Ross. It would have been a nice payback; Ross threw out Reyes at home on Saturday night.

The next batter, Matt Treanor, popped up to left but Alou lost the ball in the sun and could only crouch, protecting his face as the ball came down 10 feet behind him for a single.

With Ross on first in the fifth inning, Oliver Perez bounced a pickoff throw past Delgado. When Ross tried for second, Delgado threw the ball into left field. Ross ended up at third on the two throwing errors.

Castro's replacement, Mike DiFelice, picked up his teammates by picking off Ross at third base for the final out of the inning.

Castro left after three innings because of back discomfort that likely was sustained on the play at the plate. Randolph said it was a lower back strain and Castro went for an MRI exam during the game. He's day-to-day.

The Mets broke it open with five runs in the eighth. Delgado hit a two-run shot an estimated 445 feet to center off Taylor Tankersley, his 18th homer of the season. Luis Castillo's RBI single made it 8-4, and pinch-hitter Lastings Milledge capped the outburst with a two-run single on a hit-and-run.

When Reyes broke for second, so did Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who tried to get back to field Milledge's grounder but let the ball deflect off his glove and into the outfield. The speedy Reyes never stopped running and scored from first -- without a slide -- on the infield single.

Uggla was slow to retrieve the ball. His throw home was in time but wide, and Reyes kicked Treanor in the head and knocked the ball free as the catcher lunged across the plate.

"I just wanted to run a little bit," a smiling Reyes said.

Ramirez hit Perez's third pitch to left for his 21st homer. It was his fifth leadoff home run this year, and second in less than a week. He also did it at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Perez allowed four runs and six hits in five innings with four walks and four strikeouts.

The Marlins erased a 3-1 deficit in the third on Ross' RBI single and Wood's two-run single, which culminated with the play at the plate.

Reyes tied the score at 4 with a leadoff homer in the third, his ninth.

Notes

The Mets honored 300-game winner Tom Glavine with a pregame ceremony that delayed the start by 29 minutes. ... Uggla, slumping on the road trip, did not start. Alfredo Amezaga started at 2B for Florida. ... Lo Duca, who was expected to get an MRI exam Sunday, will instead have one Monday.

[Solair Wright]

Here are the summaries from each game, from Tuesday-today, with the links:

August 14 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270814128&prov=ap) :thumbsup:

August 15 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270815128&prov=ap) :thumbsdown:

August 16 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270816128&prov=ap) :thumbsdown:

August 17 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270817128&prov=ap) :thumbsdown:

August 18 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270818128&prov=ap) :thumbsdown:

August 19 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270819128&prov=ap) :thumbsdown:

Well, this isn't the Marlins season, due to the lack of experience and for the most part, injuries. But I'm not giving up, because I have a feeling we can still interfere Philly and New York's playoff race by beating them when the Marlins play them. :evil

[Solair Wright]

Marlins swept by Giants in four games (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270820128)

A back-to-back losing season is imminent. Why? It's due to injuries and lack of experience from rookie players, but "wait 'till next year."

[Solair Wright]

Marlins extend losing streak to seven (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270821124)

The Marlins extend their losing streak to seven straight games. Because they lost, and Washington won last night, the Fish fall into last place in the NL East.

[Solair Wright]

Another game, another loss; losing streak goes to eight games (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270822124&prov=ap)

Is there any relief for us Marlins' fans in sight? We'll see.

[PJ-34]

Are you the only Marlins fan here?

[Solair Wright]

At the moment, yes, and it's been looking bad for the Fish for August, and multiple losing streaks and being swept. I took over this forum, and they're doing worse.

I hope that Burnett continues doing well in Toronto, despite he was bit by the injury bug.