The Phillies suffered another series loss as they were defeated in Wednesday’s rubber match.
In a series that started out with a bang for the Phillies, they were unable to capitalize as the club dropped the next two games. Losing a series at home against Miami after beating their ace and the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner— Sandy Alcantara— is disappointing. The series had its ups and downs, but ultimately, the Phillies will regret not winning game three to take the series win.
Game one: Offense explodes for 15 runs
Game one of the series went about as well as one could ask for from the Phillies’ perspective. In the 15-3 rout, all parts of the team combined to get the club it’s biggest win of the season. Starting pitcher— Matt Strahm— continued his success as the Phillies fifth starter while Ranger Suárez waits to make his season debut. Strahm pitched five innings and struck out six hitters while keeping the Marlins off the scoreboard. While Strahm was dealing on the mound, the Phillies’ offense was busy beating up on Alcantara as the ace was tagged for nine earned runs.
The Phillies put up five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Jake Cave got the scoring started with a solo home run— his first of the season. The Phillies then were able to string some hits together to score four more runs as Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and Alec Bohm knocked in some baserunners.
The scoring did not stop there as the Phillies plated four runs in the fifth and sixth innings accentuated by a three-run bomb from Bohm— who ended the night with six RBI. Brandon Marsh would also hit a home run in the eighth inning.
The Phillies bullpen limited the Marlins to three runs. McKinley Moore made his Major League debut. He surrendered all three runs, but luckily, he was able to get his debut nerves out in a game that the Phillies had safely in hand.
Game two: Pitching struggles to keep Marlins off base
The biggest storyline from game two of the series was Marlins’ second baseman, Luis Arraez, hitting for the cycle— the first time it had been done in Marlin’s team history. Arraez helped carry the Marlins to an 8-4 victory against Aaron Nola and the Phillies.
The Phillies offense mustered up eleven hits, but managed to score just four runs as they went 1-10 with runners in scoring position. Base running blunders continued to haunt the offense as Bryson Stott was thrown out after making a big turn around first base after knocking in two runs, ending the inning.
The pitching did not fare well against the Marlins’ offense. Nola started the game strong, but faltered in the sixth inning as he allowed three runs to score. He did not make it out of the inning. The bullpen did not do a great job keeping the game close as Andrew Bellatti— who had been very effective up to this point— allowed another three runs to score in the eighth inning.
The Phillies were not able to bounce back and took the loss in game two, mostly at the hands of their pitching, but the offense could have put up more runs. The series hinged on a rubber match in game three.
Game three: Extra inning disappointment
The Phillies turned to Zack Wheeler to lead the club to the series win in game three. Wheeler pitched pretty well overall. He managed to get through six innings— something only one other Phillies’ starter has done this season. Wheeler struck out six Marlins’ hitters but started losing command in the fifth inning and walked three batters. This elevated his pitch count and limited him to six innings.
The bullpen followed in relief pitched fairly well. José Alvarado came in to pitch the seventh inning and continued his dominance. He struck out two more batters to end the inning. He was brought back out in the eighth inning when he surrendered a solo home run to Jorge Soler to let the Marlins tie up the game. It was Alvarado’s first run allowed this season, it just happened at an inopportune time.
The Phillies offense once again struggled with runners in scoring position hitting just 2-12. Stott and Marsh continued their hot streaks as they knocked in the only runs the Phillies would score.
As the game entered extra innings, Gregory Soto got one out in the tenth, striking out Arraez. Craig Kimbrel came in to strand the runner that started the inning on second base. He was unsuccessful. Bryan De La Cruz singled to right field to score the runner. The Phillies offense was not able to score in the bottom of the tenth and the game ended there.
A series loss is always disappointing but is even more so when the game is in reach. Poor situational hitting and a few bad pitches turned the tides in this one not in the Phillies favor.
Takeaways
There are a few positive takeaways to come from the series, despite the loss. The first is the Bryson Stott is on an absolute tear. Stott is starting the season with a 12-game hitting streak. He has moved up in the lineup and seems to be the new leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers.
Another positive is that Alec Bohm is hitting for power. Bohm’s home runs this year have not been cheap ones. He is clearly elevating the ball more and driving it deep. The Phillies need Bohm to continue showing off his power as they will be missing about 30 home runs in Rhys Hoskins’ absence.
Brandon Marsh has also been a bright spot for the Phillies. He is hitting .387 in 31 at-bats. He has shown some power too as he has hit two home runs— one of them coming off a left-handed pitcher. Marsh has been a sparkplug for the Phillies offense.
One last positive is that Nick Castellanos has been a doubles machine. Castellanos is hitting the ball well to start the season. He currently holds an .896 OPS with six RBI and eight doubles. He has yet to hit a home run, but hopefully that will come. Castellanos has been working on his approach and so far, it is working when it comes to making contact.
The Phillies will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a four-game series. After losing the series to the Marlins, it becomes important that the club can take three-out-of-four against the Reds— a team that they just beat.
