WASHINGTON - There were no costly errors yesterday, no missed bases, no double clutches, no runners thrown out by 20 feet at home plate and no recitations of My Adventures in the Batter's Box by Endy Chavez.

 

Alas, after falling on their faces in the biggest series of the season, losing three more times to Houston and sliding (possibly for good) out of the lead in the National League wild-card race, the Phillies got a day off yesterday.

 

The Astros, winners of 12 straight over the Phils, are gone, but life gets no easier for the hometown nine tonight.

 

Not with the Florida Marlins coming over the Girard Point Bridge.

 

Before the Astros turned the Phillies into their personal pi?atas, the Marlins routinely put a hurting on the Phillies, and always seemed to revel in doing so.

 

Last season, the Phils were on the heels of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves when the Marlins swept four games from them, starting an ugly two-month slide that culminated with the firing of manager Admin Bowa.

 

And who could forget 2003? The Marlins turned their season around with a couple of July sweeps of the Phillies, who had led the wild-card race at the time. Florida then totally extinguished the Phils' wild-card hopes by winning four of six meetings between the two teams in the final two weeks.

 

The Phillies went home for the 10th straight October that year, while the wild-card-winning Marlins rolled through the month and won the World Series.

 

Marlins manager Jack McKeon has fired up a few humidors' worth of cigars since the ride of his life in October 2003. But he remembers everything about it, especially how it started.

 

McKeon credits the Marlins' sweep against the Phils in the final week of that season for toughening up his team and getting it ready for what lay ahead.

 

"This race is starting to remind me of '03," McKeon said before a game against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium this week.

 

"Whoever gets hot will be in the driver's seat, like us in 2003. We got hot. Hopefully, history will repeat itself."

 

The Marlins, who have won three in a row, are a half-game behind Houston in the wild-card race. The Phils are third, 21/2 games back. After playing three in Philadelphia, the Marlins will visit Houston for four beginning Monday.

 

"Anytime a race is this close, you'd better be excited or something is wrong," Florida's Jeff Conine said.

 

Like the Phillies, the Marlins have been very inconsistent this season.

 

But McKeon, 29-15 against the Phils as Marlins manager, remains confident.

 

"We're going to have a run," he said. "We've got plenty of time."

 

Back in spring training, the Marlins and Phillies were both popular picks to win the NL East. All these months later, the Braves are heading toward division title No. 409, or so it seems.

 

While the Phillies have had times when their pitching has failed, and others when their offense has sputtered, the Marlins' problems have pretty much come down to offense.

 

Juan Pierre and Mike Lowell, two stalwarts on the 2003 team, have struggled. Pierre has been occasionally dropped from the leadoff spot, and Lowell has spent time on the bench, as his home runs have gone from 32 and 27 the last two years, respectively, to just six entering last night.

 

"We don't score runs like we should," McKeon said. "We have more MRIs than we do RBIs."

 

The Marlins have gotten big production from Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Delgado, and their team batting average is second in the NL. Yet they rank in the middle of the pack in runs.

 

"We haven't played to our capabilities all year," Conine said. "We haven't even gone on a good run. I'd like to say we're saving it for the last month. I hope we are. We certainly have the talent to reel off some consecutive victories."

 

On the pitching side, the Marlins have gotten two gigantic performances - one from an expected source, lefty Dontrelle Willis, and one from an unexpected source, closer Todd Jones.

 

The irrepressible Willis won his 20th game Wednesday night. (The Phils will not face him or Josh Beckett, but they will get 12-game winner A.J. Burnett tonight.) Jones was not needed for a save in Willis' 20th. Had he been, he probably would have converted it, as he has with 35 of the 37 chances he's had since an injury to Guillermo Mota thrust him into the closer's role in early May.

 

Jones has given up just eight earned runs over 622/3 innings, for an ERA of 1.15. That's quite an improvement over last season, when he had an ERA of 4.97 in 27 games with the Phillies.

 

Jones credits his success to his arm feeling completely healthy for the first time in a couple of years. He's also pitching in an environment more conducive to winning. Remember, he came to the Phillies just as they were entering their downward spiral last season. And, of course, you remember who turned the Phils around and got them going in the wrong direction: the Marlins.

 

Is this the year the Phillies finally take it to the Marlins in a big series?

 

Or will this be more of the same, with the Marlins continuing their big-game dominance over the Phils?

 

The answers will unfold as this important September series begins tonight.

 

In the meantime, the Marlins are coming over the Girard Point Bridge and they're ready.

 

"We always play the big boys well," McKeon said. "Now is the time we need to kick it in gear."

 

On Baseball | Fishing for Answers

 

The Phillies and Florida Marlins have played several series that have affected pennant races in recent seasons. The Marlins usually have come out on top.

 

Here's a look at some of those series:

 

July 4-6, 2003, at Philadelphia. This was one of the series that helped turn the Marlins' season around. They came to Veterans Stadium six games behind the Phils in the wild-card race. They got great starting pitching from Carl Pavano, Brad Penny and Mark Redman in beating the Phils by scores of 2-1, 5-4 and 6-3. The three-game sweep was a harbinger of things to come because the Marlins continued to torment the Phillies the rest of the season.

 

July 25-27, 2003, at Florida. The Phils entered the series leading the wild-card race by four games over Arizona, 41/2 over Los Angeles and 5 over the Marlins. Marlins hitters stroked 43 hits and scored 28 runs en route to a three-game sweep that cut the Phils' lead to two games.

 

Sept. 16-18, 2003, at Philadelphia. Trailing the Marlins by 11/2 games in the wild-card race, the Phils took the opener behind Vicente Padilla's eight shutout innings and Mike Lieberthal's six RBIs. The Phils ended up taking two of three to pull to within a half-game of the wild-card lead with nine games to play.

 

Sept. 23-25, 2003, at Florida. With six games to go, the Phils trailed the Marlins by just a game in the wild-card race. The Phils were outhit (.309-.219) and outpitched (4.33-7.12) as they were swept, falling from a game back to four behind. The Marlins went on to win the wild card and the World Series.

 

July 26-29, 2004, at Florida. The second-place Phils came in trailing Atlanta by a half-game in the NL East and leading third-place Florida by four games. The Marlins outscored the Phillies, 32-9, in sweeping the four-game series, dropping the Phils 31/2 games back. Phillies pitchers had an 8.72 ERA to the Marlins' 2.25 in the series. During the sweep, players revolted against manager Admin Bowa and the season spun out of control from there.

"We don't score runs like we should," McKeon said. "We have more MRIs than we do RBIs."

 

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:lol

"We don't score runs like we should," McKeon said. "We have more MRIs than we do RBIs."

 

aint that a bitch

As most of you know, I'm pretty superstitious; so all this talk about "ownage" makes me nervous...very very nervous.

As most of you know, I'm pretty superstitious; so all this talk about "ownage" makes me nervous...very very nervous.

936523[/snapback]

 

I don't think they are talking "ownage". I think is about confidence and excitement

Looking forward to a great series

if there is any team in the NL that we can break this skid of no sweeps to it is the Phillies. That said this should be one heck of a series and a fun time all around.

 

I just hope our pitching can hold up

I wish i was back home so i could go...