Trea Turner delivered a big hit Sunday. (John Jones/Icon Sportswire)
Final Score: Phillies 7, Marlins 6
When Trea Turner stepped to the plate with two outs and runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh inning, it felt like you knew what was coming. The Philadelphia Phillies were just 2-for-12 to that point with runners in scoring position. It seemed like one of those days.
Instead, Turner — celebrating his 31st birthday Sunday — flipped the script. Turner, who grew up rooting for the Marlins, lined a single past the outstretched glove of Miami shortstop Tim Anderson into center field, plating the tying and go-ahead runs.
Don’t get it twisted, the Phillies probably should have scored 10+ runs Sunday afternoon. They left 13 runners on base, and went just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position. But against a lowly Marlins team, Turner’s big hit along with a three-RBI day for Miami native Nick Castellanos were enough to overcome an uncharacteristically bad day from Ranger Suárez and get the win.
Suárez entered the game with an MLB-best 1.83 ERA, but allowed nine hits and six earned runs over just 4 2/3 innings. Notably, he didn’t record a single strikeout, which MLB.com‘s Paul Casella said is the first time in 83 career starts that’s happened. Suárez’s ERA is still only 2.27. He’s still been one of the league’s elite starters this season, but Sunday wasn’t a good showing.
Nonetheless, the Phillies earned a series split, and now improve to 55-29 on the year. Meanwhile, the Marlins’ season has been a lost cause from the word go, with their record at 30-54.
Highlights
Josh Bell laced a double into the left-field corner with two outs in the top of the first inning, scoring Bryan De La Cruz from first base. There may have been a play at the plate, but Trea Turner didn’t deliver an accurate relay home to catcher Rafael Marchán.
The Phillies got to work quickly in the bottom of the first inning. After a one-out single by Turner, Alec Bohm crushed a 427-foot home run to left-center field that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead:
The Phillies weren’t able to do more damage in the first inning, though. David Dahl grounded out to first base to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Nick Castellanos struck out to end the bottom of the second inning, as the Phillies stranded the bases loaded in each of the first two frames.
De La Cruz, perhaps a trade name to watch for the Phillies, tied the game with an opposite-field home run in the top of the third inning:
Emmanuel Rivera doubled off the wall in right field to bring in Dane Myers in the top of the fourth inning. Jazz Chisholm would later drive in Rivera on an RBI single.
Myers doubled into left-center field to plate Bell in the top of the fifth, extending Miami’s lead to 5-2.
After Brandon Marsh doubled off the wall, Castellanos followed with a drive to deep left field that De La Cruz wasn’t able to catch against the wall. It ended up being an RBI double for Castellanos.
But despite Castellanos reaching second, he didn’t end up scoring. Miami starter Yonny Chirinos got Kody Clemens to pop up on what turned out to be his final pitch of the game. Reliever Huascar Brazobán then proceeded to strike out Whit Merrifield and Dahl.
It appeared that Bohm had grounded into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson bobbled the ball and didn’t end up getting any outs.
Bases are loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning and Skip Schumaker is coming to take out Huascar Brazoban. A.J. Puk is coming into this game.
While reliever A.J. Puk then struck out Marsh, Castellanos then provided a two-run single, which ironically went just past Anderson. Edmundo Sosa, who pinch hit for Clemens, wasn’t able to add on, though, as he struck out to end the inning.
Phillies Nation‘s Destiny Lugardo was part of a group who spoke with Kyle Schwaber Sunday morning, and the slugger gave a positive update on when he could return from his left groin strain.
For the second time this season, the Phillies went an entire four-game home series without wearing their primary home uniforms, the red pinstripes. The Phillies wore their powder blue throwbacks on Thursday, City Connect uniforms on Friday and cream alternates for day games on Saturday and Sunday. With consecutive losses in the creams, the Phillies are now 8-7 when wearing the popular unis this season.
