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 He had an excellent excuse, though.
His wife, Ashley, was due to deliver their first child, a daughter,
at any time.
Koehler took care of business on the field -- a 5-0 win over the
Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park -- before he went home to help
take care of his wife.
"Hopefully, (they) will have a baby tonight," Marlins manager Mike
Redmond said. "We are excited about that.
"For all of us in sports who have gone through this and have had
stuff going on outside of baseball, it's not easy. He's concerned
about his wife and how she is feeling. Sometimes it's hard to
concentrate with such a big event, but he did a great job."
Indeed, Koehler (6-6) survived a rocky first inning to retire 15
consecutive batters at one point and 18 of the last 20 he faced in a
battle between National League East rivals.
Koehler, who was placed on paternity leave after the game, was
supported by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who slugged a two-run
homer, his eighth long ball of the season.
Saltalamacchia also had the job of calling the game and helping
steer Koehler out of trouble.
"He was pitching like (Ashley) was getting ready to give birth at
any second," Saltalamacchia said, "but he's a professional. He
doesn't bring outside family issues -- contractions, there you go --
to the field. He understands he has a job to do, and that's what he
did."
After Koehler exited, three Marlins relievers each pitched a
scoreless inning -- Mike Dunn in the seventh, Kevin Gregg in the
eighth and Chris Hatcher in the ninth.
That gave the Marlins their 10th shutout win of the season, which is
tied for third most in the majors.
Taking the loss was Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels (2-5), who
struggled through five innings, allowing five hits, four walks and
three runs.
"He was missing off the plate," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said
of Hamels, who pitched at least seven innings in each of his
previous 10 starts. "He wasn't as sharp as he's been."
Miami (41-43) won its second game in a row, and it will go for a
sweep of the Phillies on Thursday, which will be the Marlins' final
home game until July 18.
The Phillies (36-48) lost their sixth in a row, and they are last in
the division.
Philadelphia failed to score in the top of the first inning despite
having runners on second and third with none out. Koehler struck out
second baseman Chase Utley and right fielder Marlon Byrd, and first
baseman Ryan Howard grounded out to end the inning.
"We needed a big inning," Sandberg said. "Our guys want to do it --
maybe it's a pressing situation. We need somebody to get it going."
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Similarly, the Marlins failed to score in the bottom of the first
despite loading the bases with one out. Center fielder Marcell Ozuna
struck out and Saltalamacchia flied out to end the threat.
In the fourth inning, Miami again loaded the bases with one out.
Third baseman Casey McGehee singled, advanced to second on a
hit-by-pitch and to third on a walk. Second baseman Donovan Solano
then went the other way, lining a run-scoring single to right.
The Marlins increased their lead to 3-0 with a two-run fifth. Left
fielder Christian Yelich led off with a walk and then showed his
speed, scoring from first on shortstop Ed Lucas' double to
left-center field. McGehee's RBI double to left capped the inning.
That was pretty much all the offense Koehler needed, although
Saltalamacchia's homer in the eighth gave him an extra cushion.
After Koehler left the game, he tried to talk pitching with his
catcher, but Saltalamacchia dismissed that.
"I told him: 'Go have a baby,'" Saltalamacchia said. "I've caught a
game on a night I went to the hospital, so I've been there, done
that. It's an exciting time, especially your first. I hope
everything goes well and that he enjoys this moment."
NOTES: Miami recalled 1B Justin Bour from Triple-A New Orleans. ...
Marlins LHP Brad Hand will be brought up from New Orleans on
Thursday, when he is expected to start in the series finale against
Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick. ... Marlins 2B Rafael Furcal said
doctors told him he can expect to miss about five more weeks because
of his hamstring injury. ... Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria (strained
triceps) is throwing pain-free, and he could start a rehab
assignment Friday. ... Phillies OF Domonic Brown was placed on
paternity leave. OF Aaron Altherr was recalled from Double-A
Reading. ... Phillies RHP A.J. Burnett on Tuesday passed Lefty Grove
for 49th place on the major league career strikeout list with 2,275.
... Phillies LHP Cliff Lee (elbow injury) threw a simulated game
Tuesday, and he could begin a rehab assignment by Sunday. ... RHP
Aaron Nola, the Phillies' 2014 first-round pick, made his home debut
Tuesday at Class A Clearwater, allowing one hit in four innings.
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