Phillies’ Offense Comes to Life in Win Over Marlins

Ryan Howard’s first home run of the 2015 season didn’t just give the Phillies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish Tuesday night against the visiting Marlins. It seemed to spark an offense that to this point has been largely nonexistent. Howard’s shot to dead-center field just past the glove of a leaping Marcell Ozuna put the Phillies up 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth in a game that slowly progressed in Miami’s favor after the Phillies opened up a 2-0 lead on Freddy Galvis’ first dinger of the season in the second inning. Miami answered back in its half of the fourth when Giancarlo Stanton unleashed a 449-foot bomb to center off Phillies starter Jerome Williams (six innings, eight hits, two earned runs), who earned his first win of the year. The Fish then tacked on two more in the fifth with one run scoring on a two-out error committed by Howard at first base when a high-hopping grounder kicked off his glove and into right field. Howard hit the homer in his subsequent at bat in the sixth after Cody Asche hit a two-out single with the bases empty. The Phillies got insurance runs in the seventh when Jeff Francoeur ripped a one-out double, Odubel Herrera singled him to third, Ben Revere tripled them home and Chase Utley sent Revere home with a sacrifice fly. For more on this game, click here.