Phillies 11, Marlins 4
Carlos Ruiz belted a two-run homer and drove in four runs and Joe Blanton tossed six strong innings as the Philadelphia Phillies went deep four times in their convincing 11-4 triumph over the Florida Marlins on Monday.
Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs blasted solo homers and Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco had run-scoring singles as Philadelphia (84-61) secured its 13th win in 17 games.
With the convincing victory, the Phillies remained one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves (83-62), who posted a 4-0 triumph over the Washington Nationals on Monday.
The offensive onslaught was certainly enough for Blanton (7-6) to notch his sixth win in seven decisions. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run and five hits while striking out eight.
Dan Uggla launched a two-run homer, rookie Logan Morrison added a solo shot and Chad Tracy had an RBI double for Florida (73-70), which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.
Andrew Miller (1-2) struggled in his second straight start against the Phillies. The sixth overall pick of the 2006 draft, Miller permitted seven runs and nine hits in five innings to suffer his second consecutive loss.
Last Wednesday, Miller allowed seven runs and 11 hits in just four innings in a 10-6 loss to Philadelphia.