Halladay faces tough challenge against Sanchez and Marlins

Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies steam-rolled the Florida Marlins in the first game of a 3 game set on Tuesday, but they will have a much tougher time against one of the best young pitchers in the National League in game 2 of Wednesday’s double header. Annibal Sanchez is having a remarkable season in just his 5th year as a starter. Sanchez leads the Marlins pitching staff in wins and strikeouts, and will need to become their “Ace” as Josh Johnson may not return for a while.

Florida has started slower than MLB experts anticipated, but much of that has to do with the injuries they’ve incurred. The loss of their best pitcher and one of the best starters in all of baseball will be a huge hurdle to overcome, but their offense is good enough to keep them afloat in his absence. Josh Johnson went down with tendonitis in his shoulder earlier in the year, and is expected to make his return in a few weeks. However, the National League East has become a very competitive division, and the Marlins currently find themselves 8.5 games behind the league leading Philadelphia Phillies. A 9-1 loss to Philly on Tuesday doesn’t help their cause, but wins on Wednesday and Thursday has the potential to propel them to mount a run over the next few weeks.

The best all-around team in baseball is the Phillies, and they are proving that thus far. A 41-26 record over the first 67 games of the year shows that they will be hard to beat for any team that gets in their way. While the addition of Cliff Lee and their pitching staff may be the focal point of this squad, their offense has done more than its share in helping this squad get out to such a fast start. Ryan Howard may be the face of this offense, but its players like Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino that have set the table for the big hitters in the line-up. Jimmy Rollins is having a rough start to the year, but he hasn’t needed to be at his best with the pitching staff that Philly has in place.

The majority of baseball predictions had the Phillies winning the National League title this season and going to the World Series. It’s not hard to see that they are dominating in both pitching and hitting, and should have no trouble beating any team over a 7 game series. Crazy thing can and often do happen in baseball, and it’s possible that a talented team such as St Louis or Milwaukee could overtake Philadelphia in the N.L., but that’s why they play the game. Roy Halladay rarely has a poor performance, but a feisty offense like Florida’s has the potential to make his work for the win. Tune in Wednesday as the Phillies send their “Ace” and perhaps the best pitcher in the Major Leagues to the mound against an up-and-coming Annibal Sanchez that is doing his best to keep the Marlins alive.

 

Related posts:

1. Connecticut faces tough challenge against St Johns
2. Halladay vs. Zambrano in National League Showdown
3. Struggling Marlins look to Even Series vs. Arizona
4. Halladay Looks for Win/ Cy Young against Reds
5. The Florida Marlins are Making a move in the N.L. East

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