MIAMI (Ticker) -- Randy Wolf finally has broken his hex at Pro Player Stadium.
Wolf tossed six strong innings and Mike Lieberthal had three hits and three RBI to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-2 triumph over the Florida Marlins.
Winless in four career games in Florida, Wolf (1-0) allowed a run and three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
The lefthander, who improved to 2-7 lifetime against the Marlins, retired 10 straight batters before being lifted after yielding consecutive singles in the seventh.
"My goal doesn't change," Wolf said. "It's to keep the other team down and keep my team in the game. Tonight, we had opportunities to score runs and we took advantage. It's fun to pitch with this lineup behind me."
"He pitched great tonight," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "Since I've been here, he's been trying to get (the lack of run support) reversed. He's been the one guy who's had the least amount of run support."
After going 2-for-4 on Opening Day, Lieberthal finished a homer shy of the cycle, dispelling any doubts about his surgically repaired knee.
Scoring the Phillies' first run after a double in the fifth, Lieberthal plated three with a triple in the sixth before singling and scoring in the eighth. His bid for the cycle ended in the ninth as he popped out.
"I was thinking about it," Lieberthal said. "A fan yelled at me from first base (in the eighth) and said I needed a home run."
Carl Pavano (0-1) struggled in his 2003 debut, surrendering five runs and seven hits in six innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
"I got myself in trouble with the walks," Pavano said. "I'd like to take a couple of those pitches back, but you can't. It was a tough day all around."
After allowing a leadoff double to Derrek Lee in the second, Wolf struck out Mike Lowell. He got help from his defense when Juan Encarnacion flied out and rookie center fielder Marlon Byrd doubled off Lowell at second.
Byrd continued to help Wolf in the fifth inning.
The 2001 Eastern League MVP plated Lieberthal with a double and moved to third on a groundout. Jimmy Rollins followed with a bunt down the third base line, scoring Byrd for a 2-0 lead.
Pavano ran into more trouble in the sixth. Bobby Abreu drew a one-out walk and Jim Thome stroked his second single of the game. Pavano walked Pat Burrell on five pitches to load the bases before fanning David Bell.
In danger of walking in a run, Pavano served up a pitch that Lieberthal belted to deep left-center, clearing the bases for a 5-0 cushion.
"He's a good hitter," Florida manager Jeff Torborg said. "I don't know whether we made good pitches to him or not. I know the pitch we made to him on the triple, Pav would like to have it back."
"We're like a puzzle - everybody has a piece," Thome said. "So far, this has been great. On paper, we have a nice lineup and we've done it on the field these last two games."
Florida, which had not opened the season with consecutive losses since 1997, got back a run in the seventh when Juan Pierre scored on a passed ball by Lieberthal. But after an RBI double by Bell in the eighth, Marlins catcher Ivan Rodriguez returned the favor, allowing Bell to race home on a passed ball.
With pinch hitter Ricky Ledee at the plate, Rodriguez botched another pitch for his third passed ball of the season, enabling Lieberthal to advance. Ledee followed with a single to right to give the Phillies an 8-1 advantage.
"I don't know if it's just he doesn't see the ball well or him not being used to the ballpark yet," Torborg said. "These things will happen. He's a great catcher."
