Floyd Drills Phillies, 5-4

Cliff Floyd could hardly contain his excitement when the Philadelphia Phillies made a pitching change.

With the score tied in the eighth inning, Phillie Manager Terry Francona pulled starter Curt Schilling and brought in left-hander Yorkis Perez to face Floyd, a lefty pinch-hitter.

But Floyd--who hits left-handers better than right-handers--spoiled the strategy by hitting the first pitch for a run-scoring double that capped a two-run rally Saturday and gave the Marlins a 5-4 win, ending their seven-game losing streak.

“I’ve been hitting left-handers all season. I couldn’t wait to get up there when Schilling left the game,” Floyd said. “I’d want to face any lefty, except [New York Met reliever] John Franco, than face Schilling.”

Floyd raised his average against left-handers to .330, compared to .263 against right-handers. He is two for 10 lifetime against Schilling.

Schilling (10-10) took a 4-3 lead into the eighth, but walked Ryan Jackson and gave up a single to Derrek Lee. After a sacrifice and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Mike Redmond tied it with a run-scoring grounder.

That’s when Francona made his move.

Schilling, who leads the major leagues with 10 complete games, threw 142 pitches but disagreed with Francona’s decision to take him out.

“I want to be in that game,” he said. “We talked about the pitch count, but I felt good. I felt strong.”