Phils Drop Game 1, Again

The Phillies are making a habit of losing the series opener. After losing to the Fish tonight by a final of 4-3, the Phils have dropped their 4th consecutive series opener.

Early on in the game it looked like Oswalt was going to try and one up Halladay and Lee and extend the Phils winning streak to 3. Roy was dealing early and looked unstoppable. Oswalt was locating his fast ball up in the zone and the Marlins could not catch up. Roy also did a great job of mixing up his pitches and keeping the Marlins off balance. The Phils provided some early run support in the 1st off a sacrifice fly from Ryan Howard and an RBI single hit by Raul Ibanez. With a 2-0 lead, Oswalt had a no hitter until he gave up a solo home run to Logan Morrison in the 5th. The Phils responded in the bottom of the 5th with a run of their own to make it a 3-1 game and maintain a 2 run lead. The Marlins were able to tack on another run in the 6th, and with a strained lower back and a high pitch count, Charlie took Roy Oswalt out of the game in the 7th.

Romero came in and gave up a fluke infield single, and then Charlie made a call to the bull pen to bring in Danys Baez. Baez quickly gave up a walk and a single to load the bases. With one out and the bases juiced, former Phillie Greg Dobbs hit a 2 run single to give the Marlins a 4-3 lead. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless 8th, and Contreras a scoreless 9th to give the Phils an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 9th. Unfortunately the Phils were unable to score in the 9th and lost by a final of 4-3.

After running down the first base line, Oswalt was forced to exit the game with a lower back strain. Keep an eye on Oswalt in the upcoming days to see if the injury is anything to be worried about. Even with a solid 2 days rest, the bullpen struggled greatly tonight and could not hold onto the lead after Oswalt left the game. The bullpen needs to do a better job when they are called upon especially when they are well rested.

The Phils will look to rebound tomorrow night behind Cole Hamels. The game may be delayed or even postponed due to rain.