Phillies Nation

Philadelphia Phillies (27-20) at Florida Marlins (24-25)

Roy Halladay (6-2, 2.22 ERA) at Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.43 ERA)

Time: 7:10, Sun Life Stadium
Weather: Scattered Storms, 86
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Twitter: @philliesnation

Although the Phillies scored just 3 runs last night, they escaped with their first victory of the week taking the opener from the Marlins. They look to continue the run-scoring carousel with a win in balmy Miami, where we’re likely to see some rain tonight.

Fortunately, the Phils have their ace starting, even though he is coming off his worst start of the season in which he coughed up eight hits, seven runs and two walks in just 5 2/3 innings. The silver lining however is that Halladay only threw 99 pitches, so he should be well rested for tonight’s game. Last season after throwing back-to-back complete games, he lasted just lasted 3 innings in an interleague match against the Fish – he left after 43 pitches with a sore groin. Roy boy beat the Marlins earlier this season, going 8 innings allowing two runs on eight hits.

Pitching for the Marlins will be Josh Johnson, one of the team’s most reliable starters. Johnson will be looking to close out the month with another low-scoring appearance. He has allowed just 6 runs in five starts in May and is riding a 18+ inning scoreless streak….Just what Phillies fans want to hear…and in case you haven’t noticed, the Phillies haven’t hit a home run since Russ Gload’s lame duck shot on Sunday.

It would be a bit of an overstatement to say the Phillies offense broke out of their slump last night, but they certainly showed signs of improvement. As was noted in the Mets series, the Phillies were not moving runners to help their scoring chances. Last night witnessed Chase Utley’s second stolen base of the season as well as well-timed double steal that helped secure the winning run. After leading the NL in swipes last season, the Phils currently sit 13th in the league; and there’s more to blame than just Jimmy Rollins’ injury.

After shifting around the lineup last night, here’s Charlie Manuel’s scorecard for tonight:

Tonight’s Lineup: Victorino CF, Valdez SS, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Ruiz C, Castro 3B, Halladay P

Your Gameday Beer – Hoegaarden
On this warm Memorial Day weekend, good beer is a must. I’ve always like Hoegaarden, which can be enjoyed in small sips with good food. It flows smooth and tastes like citrus. Have some barbecue chicken with it. – By Tim

GO PHILLIES!