Fish Fry Flash: Uggla's Slam beats Phillies

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The second best second baseman in baseball, Dan Uggla, won Wednesday's game for the Marlins by hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning off Tom Gordon. The game was a pitchers duel up until that point, and the Marlins won their second straight against the Phillies by a score of 6-2.

3 Up
1. King Cole (again) Cole Hamels pitched his second straight masterful game, striking out 13 batters in 8 innings. He did give up two solo homers on the night, but he certainly pitched better than the last time he faced the Marlins and gave up 7 runs. The lack of a Phillie offense killed his chances of earning a much-deserved win.

2. Miller also shines Andrew Miller's performance was overshadowed by Hamels' dominance, but he also pitched a gem, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run across 7 innings. Miller shut down one of the top offenses in baseball despite carrying a 5.65 ERA into the game. If the Marlins can get performances like that they are going to be a tough team down the stretch.

3. Cantu can-do Cheesy title here, but Jorge Cantu continues to own the Phillies this season. He hit two homers today off Cole Hamels after hitting one yesterday off Brett Myers. He also hit one off Hamels when they played back in May, giving him 4 homers in 5 games against the Phillies.

3 Down
1. Fish fry Flash Could it be anyone else but Tom Gordon? With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Dan Uggla connected on a game-winning home run off Gordon:

Just a terrible outing by Gordon tonight. He walked two batters and gave up a hit to load the bases and then couldn't pitch himself out of the mess he created. Perhaps Brad Lidge should have been brought in to shut things down? Gordon now has an ERA of 5.19 on the season.

2. Phillies offense MIA I know I praised Andrew Miller for shutting down the Phillies, but the Phillies can't get anything going off Andrew Miller? They managed to squeak one run out in the 9th when Kevin Gregg came in but how do they only score 2 runs all game?

3. Kline released The Phillies announced today that they released left hander Steve Kline. Kline had been pitching for the Iron Pigs and was thought to be a possible candidate as a second lefty in the bullpen for the Phils. Unfortunately, a 5.16 ERA in Triple A and a suspension for bumping an ump won't get you to the big leagues any time soon. Guess he isn't the answer I thought he would be back in April when he signed.

Phillies Sign Lefty Reliever Steve Kline

Looks like the Phillies have found their second lefty reliever: they signed veteran left-hander Steve Kline to a minor league contract today. Kline, who was released by the San Francisco Giants in early April, is an 11 year veteran who has played with five different teams. He is coming off a mediocre season where he saw his strikeout rates take a dive and his ERA rise up to 4.70. He is a LOOGY, (Lefty One Out GuY) even though he wasn't particularly good against lefties last year.

Kline represents a great low-risk signing. It's the perfect kind of deal for Phils GM Pat "Small Splashes" Gillick. Kline will start out in the minors, and if he can get the job done, he will quickly move up to the big club. If he struggles, then he stays in the minors or the Phillies simply cut bait. These are the types of small moves that don't win championships, but they do build depth and fill holes. Hopefully Kline gets to the majors quickly and Clay Condrey can go back to AAA were he belongs.