The Phillies beat the Marlins. This is not a drill. It’s not April 1st. I’m not kidding. It was only one game, but the Marlins have been a bogey team for the Phils for a long time now, and frankly, even one win brings a sigh of relief. The question now becomes whether they can double up on Tuesday.
Last game
Aaron Nola only gave up 2 runs through 7 innings on Monday in a game that had fans swiping sweat from their foreheads.
Bryce Harper got the scoring going with an RBI double in the third after being walked the first time round. He now owns an NL-leading OPS.
Aaron Nola was perfect until the seventh inning, where a costly decision ended up giving Miami a pair of runs. This, of course, instilled plenty of fear in the fanbase.
However, this is a different Phillies team and one that just went on an absolute tear. Rhys Hoskins banged in a walk-off RBI double to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, lifting the Phillies out of what would’ve otherwise been a worrying spot. It’s nice to see this team respond to an inning like that in such a positive way as opposed to crumbling.
If you didn’t know before, the Phils are back.
Pitching matchup
Zach Eflin (2-4, 3.76 ERA) vs Trevor Rogers (3-5, 5.58 ERA)
This matchup obviously favors the Phillies. Zach Eflin has had a tremendous start to June, going 2-0, and pitching a shutout against the Angels in an 8-inning performance. He’s been pretty solid this year up to this point and if he can keep that momentum rolling, he should have the better of a middling Marlins offense.
Meanwhile, Rogers is suffering the dreaded sophomore slump. He did win his last start, but was battered by the Phils in a 10-3 loss back in April, where he gave up 7 runs in 3 innings.
Betting information
Predictably, the Phillies come into this matchup as favorites and it’s really hard to see a reason to bet the other way. I’ll be backing the Phils -1.5 here.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
