MVN - Most Valuable Network

Behind Olsen, Fish take series finale in San Diego

It was a lot of Scott Olsen and Hanley Ramirez on Wednesday afternoon at PETCO Park as the Marlins took the series from the Padres. Olsen dazzled, going 8 innings, allowing just one earned run and picking up his first win since June 16. Ramirez backed him by going 3-5 with a homer, an RBI and a run scored.

For the second time this year, Olsen came within three outs of going the distance but with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th, Fredi Gonzalez lifted him for a pinch hitter. While recording a complete game for the first time in 267 games, an all time major league record drought, Olsen has got to be happy with the win, his first since May 6. Aside from a solo homer by Scott Hairston, who had a ridiculous series, going 6-11 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs, all Olsen allowed over his 8 innings of work was three singles. The Padres only put one man into scoring position. Olsen has been better in almost every category this year but he seems to be really excelling in day games. After finishing the first half of last season with a 2-5 record and a 6.80 ERA in 37 afternoon innings pitched, he owns a 2-0 record and a 2.89 ERA in 28 innings pitched headed into this year’s All-Star break and he’s made 4 less day game starts.

The Marlins got off to a good start at the plate, singling on the first pitch of the game but it took a little more than that for Hanley to kick start the offense. All Florida managed between his first and second ABs was a single. However, Hanley would eventually do the trick. In the 3rd, he went deep for the 22nd time this year. Mike Jacobs thought it looked cool and did it himself an inning later with a man on to give his team a 3-0 lead. The Fish added two more in the 9th via a John Baker sac fly RBI, the first of his major league career, and a Wes Helms bases loaded walk.

Joe Nelson gave up a run in the 9th, creating a save situation for Kevin Gregg. With another 2+ run lead, he had little trouble collecting his 17th save of the year.

The Marlins will take the bus ride up to Los Angeles where they will take on the Dodgers for four days before going on break. Josh Johnson and Chan Ho Park are your Thursday night probables. It will be Johnson’s first game since last July 4, a month before he underwent Tommy John surgery. In two career starts against the Dodgers, JJ is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA. Park has been very good in his last four starts, going 2-0 and never giving up more than one earned run. Florida has hit him well throughout his career though. In twelve career starts against them, Park is 4-3 with a 5.04 ERA. Luis Gonzalez hits him at a .319 clip.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 11:03 am and is filed under Game Recaps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.