The Phillies and Marlins enter this weekend's series separated by 5.5 games, with the Mets sandwiched in between just a half game back of Philadelphia. Despite what appears to be a commanding lead, the Phillies cannot simply disregard the Marlins, winners of eight in a row. Luckily for the Phillies, the Marlins have not made up much ground on them, as they have won seven in a row themselves. The series kicks off Friday night with the Phillies' hottest starter, Brett Myers (10-11, 4.06), facing off against Josh Johnson (5-1, 3.30). Johnson has pitched in just 12 games this season, starting the year on the disabled list. Despite getting a late start, Johnson has pitched quite well for the surging Marlins. In his last outing, against the Washington Nationals, Johnson gave up just two runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out a career high nine batters and has recorded eight straight quality starts. Despite a rough looking record, Myers has been lights out since returning from his mid-season stint in Triple-A, going 7-2 with a 1.80 ERA in 11 starts. Myers pitched this past Sunday on just three days rest and threw his second complete game of the season, holding the Milwaukee Brewers to one run on just two hits. Myers is, however, 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA this season against the Marlins. Saturday's matchup pits Joe Blanton (7-12, 4.82) against Anibal Sanchez (2-4, 5.87). After two straight starts without going more than three innings, Sanchez went seven strong innings in his last outing, matching his season high. He allowed just three runs (two earned) in his first quality start since August 11. On Sept. 8 at Philadelphia, Sanchez was roughed up for five runs in 1 1/3 innings in a loss. Blanton, despite pitching some very shaky baseball since coming over from the Oakland Athletics, has not yet recorded a loss in a Phillies' uniform. He is a striking 2-0 in 11 starts with the National League club, a remarkable tale of blown leads and gritty comebacks. In his last outing, Blanton went seven innings giving up just three runs on five hits, getting yet another no-decision. His only career start against the Marlins came on September 8 in which Blanton recorded his second victory as a Phillie, despite giving up four runs in five innings. The series concludes in a Sunday day game with Jamie Moyer (14-7, 3.86) and Chris Volstad (5-3, 3.07) on the mound. Volstad shut the Houston Astros down his last time out, allowing just one run on five hits in eight strong innings. It was his second longest outing of the season. Despite giving up six runs in two of his previous five starts, Moyer has a 3.38 ERA in his previous 19 outings this season. He has been the epitome of steadfast consistency this season and leads the teams in wins with 14. While things are looking up for the Phillies, they are not in the clear yet. They have played very well in tough contests recently, splitting a four game set with the National League leading Chicago Cubs, took two out three in their final series with the Mets, and recently swept the previously Wild Card leading Brewers. But the Phillies continue to struggle against the teams that they should beat (with the obvious exception of the Atlanta Braves), flailing against these Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and even the lowly Nationals. The Marlins are likely out of it, but it seems that no one has told them that yet. They are one of the best offensive teams in the majors, and are on the brink of making history. If third baseman Jorge Cantu can hit another two homeruns, the Marlins will be the first team in Major League Baseball history to have all four starting infielders have hit at least 30 homeruns in a season. First baseman Mike Jacobs, second baseman Dan Uggla, and shortstop Hanley Ramirez have all reached or exceeded that mark already. The Marlins are second in the majors to the Phillies in homeruns and can explode for double digits at a moment's notice. The Phillies will need to continue pitching well and hitting the ball, taking advantage of the Marlins' young pitching and very porous defense.