Phils hammer Marlins' rookie

It was Elih Villanueva's major league debut, but the Phillies seemed intent on making it his finale.

A suddenly electric offense scored eight runs against the 24-year-old Marlins righthander, six of them coming in the third inning as they cruised to an 8-1 victory in the first game of today's doubleheader.

By the end of it, a grueling stretch of three games in 24 hours felt a lot more manageable, as the much-maligned Phillies offense gave Kyle Kendrick plenty of breathing room as he coasted through seven innings in just 88 pitches. In the first inning, the righthander allowed a walk and two hits, including a solo home run by Logan Morrison that gave the Marlins an early lead. But the Phillies tied the game in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double by Ryan Howard and Kendrick cruised through his final six innings, allowing just three more baserunners to finish with a beautiful line: Seven innings, five hits, one run, one walk, five strikeouts.

But it was Howard and the offense that stole the show for a second straight game. Less than 24 hours after blasting five home runs in a 9-1 victory Tuesday night, the Phillies tallied four extra base hits, including a three-run home run by Rollins and a three-run triple by Valdez, both of which came in the third inning.

Valdez finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run, while Rollins went 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run.

Howard drove in a run for his fifth consecutive game. He already has 14 RBI in the month of June.

Roy Halladay will face Anibal Sanchez at 7:05 tonight. Cliff Lee will then square off against Javier Vazquez tomorrow afternoon.