MIAMI -- Down three regular position players because of injuries, and overcoming 11 walks allowed, the Marlins managed to hold off the Phillies, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon in front of 16,308 at Dolphin Stadium.

An unlikely hero emerged in the ninth inning to preserve the win that gave the Marlins two of three in the series.

Spring Training non-roster invitee Lee Gardner, who warmed up in the first inning, was called upon to inherit a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth inning. Gardner needed four pitches, all strikes, to close out the Phillies for his first Major League save.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez turned to the 32-year-old Gardner, who appeared in five games with the Devil Rays in 2006, because closer Jorge Julio issued a single to Ryan Howard, a double to Wes Helms and a walk to Shane Victorino.

While Gonzalez is giving Julio every chance, the 28-year-old closer labored for the second straight game. On Saturday night, Julio threw 31 pitches and gave up two runs in a non-save chance in an 8-5 win.

Gardner retired Carlos Ruiz on a foul pop to catcher Matt Treanor, and then he struck out Michael Bourn on three pitches, the first and third looking.

A year ago, Gardner had 30 saves at Triple-A Toledo. After Sunday's game, he was presented with his second lineup card, plus he pocketed the game ball.

"When I set out at age 5, I didn't set out to be the saves leader in Triple-A," Gardner said. "This is the first time I've been up in the first inning and finished the game out, I can honestly say that."

The win lifted the Marlins (4-2) into a second-place tie with the Mets, one game behind the Braves in the National League East.

Gonzalez said he pulled Julio for a couple of reasons. Foremost, the manager said, was because he logged 31 pitches the night before. Julio is not expected to pitch Monday when the Marlins face the Brewers at home.

But on Tuesday, if there is a save situation, Gonzalez intends to go with Julio.

"We've got to run him back out there," Gonzalez said. "One of the biggest reasons I didn't let him finish was he threw 31 pitches yesterday and he was up to 19. That's, back to back, a lot of pitches.

"It's a tough decision, but we had to go out and get him. But he's a very important piece to our team, and we've got to get him straight. The only way I know to do that is, you can't stick him in a simulator. We've got to keep running him out there. This guy has got [99] career saves."

As of now, the Marlins aren't planning on shifting Julio's role. Acquired from Arizona late in Spring Training, Julio may at some point be used in a setup role until he gets on track.

Gonzalez says that point hasn't arrived.

"Not yet," the first-year manager said, when asked about Julio taking on a different assignment. "Tomorrow I'll probably give him a day [off] because of back-to-back long outings. But Tuesday, in that same situation, we've got to keep running him out there."

While Julio struggled, Gardner came through, sealing a victory for lefty Scott Olsen, who awaited the reliever at the door of the clubhouse afterwards.

After dropping 13 of 19 to the Phillies last year, taking a series is a good confidence builder for the young Marlins.

"It's good for us. They obviously did a number on us last year," Olsen said. "It's good to get off to a good start and get confidence against these upper-echelon teams in the division that we know we're going to be facing."

Rallying from three runs down, the Marlins scored four times in the second inning off Zack Segovia, who was making his Major League debut and was optioned to Triple-A afterwards. Jacobs opened with a home run, and Cody Ross followed with a double. A single by Joe Borchard put runners on the corners, and Alejandro De Aza delivered a sacrifice fly to right. Treanor's second career triple tied the game, and Olsen executed a suicide squeeze for the go-ahead RBI.

"I didn't want to miss a sign," Olsen said of his squeeze bunt. "The name of the game is putting the ball in play."

In the top of the second inning, the Marlins lost the services of shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who exited with a stiff right hamstring.

Before the game, left fielder Josh Willingham was scratched with a sore back, and catcher Miguel Olivo was out for the second straight game because of a bruised right thumb.

Cabrera's RBI double in the fifth inning put the Marlins up, 5-3. And Alfredo Amezaga's run-scoring triple in the seventh provided some insurance. Aaron Boone delivered a pinch-hit single off Antonio Alfonseca and scored on Amezaga's triple to right-center.