Phillies Insider: Previewing the Marlins Series

After scoring a mind-boggling 48 runs in their last four games, including a 20-run splurge Monday against the hapless Rockies, the Phillies entertain the first-place Marlins in the teams'
first meeting of the season.

While the Phillies have been rolling as of late, the Marlins certainly deserve their first-place ranking in the highly competitive NL East. At the start of the season, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel predicted that the Fish would be better than expected. Sure enough, we're in late May and suddenly a Philadelphia-Florida series is a must-watch.

For the Phillies to succeed (and, consequently, unseat the Marlins), they'll need to accomplish a few things. Here are three keys to the series.

Brett Myers Must Step Up

Myers has been plagued by a few things this year -- lack of velocity, weight gain, confidence issues.

Personally, I don't think Myers has adjusted back to being a starting pitcher. He's the livewire type -- impatient when he has to sit around for four days without game action. A source close to the team told me recently that Myers "wants to be a help to the team in any possible way. That said, he loved being the guy getting the final three outs every other day. He may never, ever fully accept not being that guy."

Granted, my source assured me that final sentence was "pure speculation," but it's an interesting thought. Is Myers' self-loathing hurting his performance? Hey, with a 2-6 record and an ERA approaching 6.00, it's an argument worth making.

For the Phillies to repeat as NL East champion, they need Myers to step it up. And there's no better time to do it than tonight against the Marlins, against whom he is 5-7 with a 5.01 ERA in 25 career games.

Phillies Bats Must Stay Hot

There shouldn't be concern about this considering Philadelphia's offense heats up as soon as the weather in the Northeast does. However, taking into account the team had an off day Thursday, a hiccup wouldn't be unexpected.

Still, the Marlins don't exactly present the toughest challenge in terms of starting pitching. Mark Hendrickson is a surprising 7-2 this season, but he's a career fifth starter, and the Phillies pounded the former 76ers draft pick to the tune of seven runs in three innings last July. On Saturday, Philly faces Ricky Nolasco (4-3, 4.70 ERA) and good-looking young left Andrew Miller (4-4, 5.53 ERA) in the getaway game Sunday.

One concern is the fact the Marlins will showcase a pair of left-handed hurlers. Of course, arguably Philadelphia's best two hitters -- left-handed hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- need to be up to the challenge.

Keeping Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla At Bay

Ramirez has struggled since signing a huge multi-year contract extension earlier this month. He is 7-for42 in his last 11 games, including a 1-for-12 showing in Florida's recent series against the Mets.

Uggla, who is often compared to Utley in many categories, had only three hits at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park last season.

The strikeout-prone Uggla is 1-for-9 with five K's over the last two games. However, lifetime against Myers he is 7-for-18 with two homers against Myers. First baseman Mike Jacobs is a basher and is also 7-for-18 all-time against Myers.

If Ramirez and Uggla continue their recent woes, it would be a huge boost for the Phillies' pitching staff and would increase the chances of Philly winning the series.