Phils Move Closer to First
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Brian Hunter didn't need to do much with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. He did just enough for Philadelphia to win. Hunter's pinch single scored Marlon Anderson in the ninth inning to give the Phillies a 1-0 win over the Florida Marlins on Friday night. "Every player wants to be up in that situation," Hunter said. "Going up, I wanted to hit the ball up the middle. I saw the shortstop diving for it and I just hoped it got through." The Phillies, who moved within a half-game of Atlanta in the NL East, have won six of seven games. They have also won their last seven straight over the Marlins and are 8-0 at home against Florida. "I don't know what we have to do to win a game here," Marlins manager Tony Perez said. "We got great pitching but couldn't get any runs." Anderson led off the inning with a single off Vladimir Nunez (4-5) and went to third on Pat Burrell's single. Travis Lee was intentionally walked to load the bases before Nunez retired Felipe Crespo on a popup. Hunter then bounced a single up the middle past a diving Alex Gonzalez at shortstop to win it. "That was a big hit but Brian's a professional," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "He stays ready, he's a veteran." Jose Mesa (2-3) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to get the win, retiring Gonzalez on a shallow flyball to keep the game scoreless. Both starters were coming off long rests. Philadelphia's Omar Daal had not pitched since Sept. 9 and Florida's A.J. Burnett hadn't thrown since Sept. 7 as a result of baseball's six-day shutdown following last week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast. But the layoff did not seem to effect either pitcher as they each pitched seven scoreless innings. Daal had a season-high 10 strikeouts and allowed four hits and two walks. He allowed just two runners to advance to second. "If we didn't get a good game from Omar, we wouldn't have won this game," Bowa said. "He threw an unbelievable game and we needed it." Burnett gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five. "That's a tough game to lose," Burnett said. "There was great pitching by both sides but they got their hits at the right time." Game notes Florida's Preston Wilson had two singles to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. ... Seven of the 14 games between these teams have been decided by one run and Philadelphia has won them all. ... Daal's 10 strikeouts were his most since June 8, 1999, when he struck out 11 for Arizona against the Chicago Cubs. It was his third double-digit strikeout performance in 122 starts. His career high was 12 against Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 1998. ...Travis Lee reached base all four times he came up with two hits and two walks.
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Author: AP
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Author: AP
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