Game: Philadelphia Phillies @ Florida Marlins
Venue: Dolphin Stadium
Attendance: 15,202
Length of Game: 2:29
Starting Pitchers: Jamie Moyer ( Phillies) vs Scott Olsen ( Marlins)
By now, even Jamie Moyer doesn't understand why he has such mindboggling success against the Florida Marlins.
The Marlins surely don't, not against the Phillies' veteran lefty.
Moyer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and did what he always does -- beat the Marlins. Philadelphia scored two runs after a wild pitch and edged Florida 3-0 Thursday, avoiding a three-game sweep.
Moyer (7-3) allowed two hits in eight innings, striking out three and walking one. Most impressive stat: He's 9-0 in nine career starts against Florida.
fastball-loving lineup, while Moyer's fastball isn't as fast as some pitchers' change-ups.
But the 45-year-old Moyer simply doesn't subscribe to that as the theory why he has such success against the Marlins.
Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Jimmy Rollins and Pedro Feliz all had two hits for the first-place Phillies, who moved three games ahead of the Marlins in the NL East.
The last pitcher to win his first nine or more starts against one team was Pedro Martinez, who won his first 12 starts against Seattle from 1998-2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The only other active pitcher with a 9-0 record or better against one team is Randy Johnson, who is 12-0 against the Cubs.
Brad Lidge pitched the ninth for his 18th save in as many chances for the Phillies, only giving up a one-out single to Jeremy Hermida.
Florida starter Scott Olsen (4-3) singled off Utley's glove in the sixth to end the no-hit bid, and Cody Ross singled in the seventh for Florida's lone hits off Moyer -- whose 565th career start was among his best.
Moyer befuddled the Marlins with an array of off-speed offerings good enough to silence the team that has hit more homers so far this year than any team in baseball. Moyer struck out Robert Andino to end his night, getting him to flail at a 71 mph pitch.
Moyer had thrown eight or more innings of shutout, two-hits-or-less ball only twice before.
As a rookie with the Chicago Cubs in 1986, he no-hit the Montreal Expos for 6 1/3 innings before settling for a two-hitter. Nearly 20 years later, he matched that feat by throwing another two-hitter June 2, 2006, for the Seattle Mariners against the Kansas City Royals.
Olsen threw seven innings, allowing two runs -- one earned -- and six hits while striking out seven. But he simply got outpitched by a man 21 years his senior.
Entering the bottom of the sixth, the 45-year-old Moyer was 1-for-2 at the plate, while the Marlins were a combined 0-for-15.
Moyer's bid for history ended by an inch, maybe less.
With one out, Olsen -- a .077 hitter against left-handers in his career to that point -- hit a liner to Utley at second base. Utley's leap simply wasn't high enough; the ball skipped off the very top of his glove, falling in for a hit.
Busting the no-no probably wasn't enough to lighten Olsen's mood, considering what happened minutes earlier.
With runners on second and third and two out in the top of the sixth, Olsen got ahead 0-2 against Ryan Howard. But his third pitch was in the dirt and hopped away from catcher Matt Treanor, who scurried to retrieve the ball -- which he tossed over Olsen's glove and toward the Phillies' dugout.
Rollins and Shane Victorino scored on the play, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
Olsen struck Howard out swinging on the very next pitch, then screamed into his glove as he walked off the mound.
The Phillies made it 3-0 in the eighth, when Jayson Werth's two-out single off Matt Lindstrom drove in Utley.
Up Next: Ryan Tucker who won his first career start with the Marlins wil lface off against Andy Sonnanstine, as Game 1 of the Citrus-Series begins between the Marlins and Rays. First pitch is set for 7:10 P.M. Eastern Time. Game will be televised locally on FSN Florida or can be heard on 790 The Ticket AM Radio ( English) or WQBA 1140 AM Radio ( Spanish).