The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins will battle it out in the second game of their series with a high profile pitching matchup on tap at Sun Life Stadium

Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins

Philadelphia captured a 6-4 victory on Monday night and has now won 18 of its last 21 contests against Florida at Sun Life Stadium.  During that 21-game stretch, Phillies pitchers have posted a 2.41 ERA, which includes a 2.09 ERA from their starters.  As a result of the victory, the club extended its lead over Florida to three games in the NL East and now has an MLB-best 23 wins.  Tonight the Phillies will play their 10th game in a stretch of 15 straight contests over a span of 17 days against division rivals.  So far in 2011, Philadelphia is 13-7 against the NL East, hitting .271 with 91 runs scored, while posting a 2.95 ERA and .236 opponents batting average.

Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay is enjoying another Cy Young-type year thus far, posting a 5-1 record and 2.19 ERA in seven starts.  The right-hander has compiled an incredible 57 strikeouts and issued just seven walks in 53.1 innings of work.  Halladay enters with a perfect 2-0 record and 1.53 ERA in two road outings, as he’s not allowed a home run in 17.2 frames.  In seven previous starts versus the Marlins,  he has produced a 4-2 mark and 2.30 ERA, while boasting a 12/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Florida has dropped three of four on its current six-game homestand and received a poor pitching performance from right-hander Javier Vazquez in the series opener.  “Just frustrating, embarrassed with the way I’m throwing,” he commented after allowing five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.  Marlins starting pitchers still own a 12-7 record and 3.80 ERA on the season, as the 12 wins are tied for the sixth-most in the NL among staffs.  At 20-14, the Fish are also off to their best start in franchise history thru 34 games.  Florida is 7-8 against division opponents this year.

Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson came back to Earth a bit in his last start, dropping a 6-3 road decision to the Cardinals.  The power right-hander allowed five runs and eight hits over 7.1 frames, after giving up just 19 hits in 41.1 frames entering the contest.  Johnson enters tonight with a perfect 2-0 record and 1.35 ERA in four home outings, as opposing hitters are hitting just .135 against him.  In 13 previous appearances (11 starts) versus the Phillies, he has posted a 5-3 record and 3.34 ERA.

Bettors will likely back the Phillies due to their 18-1 record in Halladay’s last 19 starts versus the NL East, while the Marlins are 1-4 in their last five home games.