MLB on Wednesday night will see the Miami Marlins take on the Philadelphia Phillies in game 2 of their 3 games series. The game is scheduled for an 7:05 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on ESPN2. Currently the odds have Philadelphia favored at -136, while the Marlins are dogs of +128 with the total sitting at 6 runs for the contest.
Free Analysis: It’s been a week of controversy for the Miami Marlins and they will be without their Manager Ozzie Guillen who is suspended for five days. Miami has started the season 2-3 but made it look pretty easy against Philadelphia on Monday. Anibal Sanchez allowed six hits and two runs while striking out four over 6.1 innings to get the win as the bullpen didn’t allow a base runner the rest of the way. Omar Infante had two home runs, Emilio Bonifacio had three hits, and Jose Reyes and Gaby Sanchez each had two hits as the Marlins scored six runs on 11 hits in all. For this game Miami starts Josh Johnson who didn’t look as impressive as we have seen him in the past as he lost on opening night to the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnson, who is returning from an injury last season, allowed 10 hits and three runs while striking out four over six innings to take the loss. Johnson has gotten the better of Halladay, going 2-1 with a 0.65 ERA in the last four matchups. He may be at a further advantage against Philadelphia (1-3), which is batting .198 overall and .179 with runners in scoring position following a 6-2 series-opening loss Monday. Additionally, Johnson has enjoyed pitching at Citizens Bank Park, going 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA in five starts and six total appearances. He will be glad to not see Howard, who has gone 10 for 33 with three homers and two doubles off of him. The Philadelphia Phillies have dominated the National League East in recent years and they are heavily favored to repeat as division champs but it has been a slow start as they sit at 1-3 though four games. In game one against the Marlins on Monday starter Cole Hamels couldn’t get it done as he allowed eight hits and four runs while striking out nine over 5.1 innings of work to take the loss and relievers Joe Savery and Jonathan Papelbon didn’t fare much better allowing a run each in an inning of work. The Phillies lineup looked fairly punchless as they managed six hits and two runs on the day. "We're not hitting the ball hard enough to score runs," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, whose team has scored eight runs in its four games as it tries to get by without injured stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. For Wednesday’s game the Phillies turn to their ace, Roy Halladay to get them back to their familiar winning ways. In his first outing of the year Halladay allowed two hits and struck out five over eight shutout innings getting the win at Pittsburgh. Halladay is 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in his last 5 starts vs the Fish. Philadelphia is 22-6 in Halladay's last 28 home starts, while the marlins are 3-7 in Johnson's last 10 road starts.
Free Pick: I like the Phils here. Miami may be playing better ball, but they are having some off the field distractions and John Johnson really didn't look that great in his opener. josh Johnson has had success vs the Phils, at Citizen Bank (4-0 with a 1.87 ERA), but the Marlins are just 3-7 in his last 10 road starts and he will be taking on a Philadelphia team that is very desperate for a win right now. I can see the Phils offense coming up with some more hits in this one. Roy Halladay is the Ace of this staff and he looked every bit of it in in his opener, throwing 8 shutout innings in Pittsburgh. Roy is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA vs the Fish and he is 20-8 with a 2.31 ERA in his career at Citizen Bank, while the Phils are 22-6 in his last 28 home starts. Philadelphia needs this game in the worst way and behind their Ace and a bit better hitting they should get it.
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