PHILADELPHIA – It was another beautiful summer night at Citizens Bank Park as the Philadelphia Phillies took on the Miami Marlins.
Heading into the ballgame with a 4 game losing streak, the pressure was mounting for the club. Fans were calling for changes and the players seemed to be pressing. The team needed a win in the biggest way, and they found themselves their 70th victory of the year.
First Inning Struggles
Tyler Phillips would take the mound for the Phillies on Wednesday night.
Phillips would retire the first batter he faced but then got into trouble. A hit by a pitch to Jake Burger and a single by Jesus Sanchez set the table for Johan Bride. Coming off a night where he reached base four times, Bride drove a ball into the left-field seats. The Phillies trailed in the first inning once again.
A single by Kyle Stowers kept the inning going. He would be retired on a fielder’s choice, but then the next batter would single for Miami. This left runners at second and third with two outs. Phillips would get the batter in an 0-2 count, getting him to strike out.
In the bottom half of the first inning, a new look batting lineup would step to the plate.
Kyle Schwarber would lead off like any other ballgame for the Phils. A strikeout to start the game was not what the doctor had ordered for the Phillies. A new two-hole hitter, Nick Castellanos would then take a crack at it. He would ground out to third for the second out.
Bryce Harper would double with two outs, trying to extend the inning. Alec Bohm however could not cash in. This ended the first inning with the Phillies trailing by 3 runs.
Phillies Battle Back
The Phillies were going to need to battle if they wanted to snap their 4-game losing streak. In the bottom of the second, Bryson Stott led off the inning with a walk and then stole a bag to get to second base. He would advance to third on a base hit by JT Realmuto, putting runners at the corners for Edmundo Sosa.
Sosa would ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The run would score, putting the Phillies on the board.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Phillies had a similar situation. A leadoff walk by Johan Rojas, a stolen base of second, and an advancement all took place to get him to third base. Nick Castellanos walked, putting runners at the corners. Bryce Harper then hit a ball to the second basemen. In what could have been a double play ball, Harper hustled, beating out the throw. That made it a 3-2 ballgame through 3 innings.
Pitching Falters
In the top of the 4th inning, the Phillies would give their runs right back. Two more players would score for the Marlins, making it 5-2 Miami. Tyler Phillips could not escape another jam and the Phillies had allowed 9 hits to the Marlins through 4 frames.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Phillies had a chance to strike. The first two batters would reach to start the inning. A fielder’s choice and strikeout by Sosa and Marsh would quickly hurt the team’s momentum. Johan Rojas hit a perfectly placed infield single to load the bases for Kyle Schwarber.
Kyle Schwarber would get a 2-1 pitch that he did not miss. He put his 7th career grand slam into the left field seats, making it 6-5.
Hold the Door!
After a huge momentum swing in the 5th, the Phillies quickly found themselves back on the defensive. Alec Bohm committed his 14th error of the season and allowed the lead-off runner on to start the inning.
Tyler Phillips would be relieved by Jose Ruiz, who has performed very well for the club in his middle innings role. Ruiz would get a flyout to center and a strikeout to end the threat, keeping it a 6-5 Phillies lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, the offense would keep its groove. Alec Bohm smacked a single to left, extending his on-base streak to 31 consecutive games. It was his 600th career base hit.
Matt Strham would get the 6th inning for the Phillies. The All-Star reliever had been in a bit of a funk post-All-Star game but was able to lock in against the Marlins on Wednesday night. He shut down the side 1-2-3 and struck out Jesus Sanchez looking to end the frame.
In the 7th, another All-Star reliever would enter the ballgame. Jeff Hoffman would take the mound and try to keep it a 1-run ballgame. Hoffman had pitched a scoreless inning on Tuesday night against the Marlins and Rob Thomson was looking to get him back into his groove.
Hoffman started the inning off by allowing a single to Johan Bride, who had reached base 6 times in the two-game series. A strikeout to Kyle Stowers checked the first out off the list for Hoffman, who then settled into battle with Otto Lopez. The power right-hander earned another strikeout with an 87 mph slider, which fooled Lopez. Otto went chasing a ball outside the zone. It was in the same location that was called a strike to end his last at-bat, so Jeff Hoffman could tip his cap to Jose Ruiz for the assist. He then sat down Derek Hill to end the inning.
Stretch Time
With two outs in the 7th, Bryce Harper would smack his second double of the night. A soft poke into left field allowed the Phillies’ first baseman to cruise into second base. Harper played a huge factor in getting the Phillies’ offense back on track in this game.
With a runner at second base and 2-outs, upstepped Alec Bohm. A solid hit back up the middle would score Harper, earning Bohm his 81st run batted in this season. It extended the Phillies lead to 7-5.
Bryson Stott would follow Bohm up with a double into right field. The ball hit the infield dirt and kicked up over first baseman Jonah Bride’s head, giving Stott the runway he needed. JT Realmuto would contribute to the cause, driving home both runners with a double himself. This extended the lead to 9-5.
Hanging On
Jose Alvarado took a 9-5 lead into the top of the 8th inning. He would get the leadoff hitter to ground into a routine 6-3 putout before allowing a double to catch Ali Sanchez.
Then the command issues started to rear its ugly head again for Alvarado. He walked Xavier Edwards in 5 pitches, putting runners at first and second. This gave power hitter Jake Burger a chance to put Miami back into the ballgame.
Burger connected with a hard-hit liner to Brandon Marsh in left. It was hit right to Marsh and Burger did not miss the pitch by much. Facing lefty Jesus Sanchez with 2-outs, Jose forced him to roll over on a ground ball to Edmundo Sosa.
In the 9th inning, the Phillies would turn to Carlos Estevez to complete the ballgame.
The club’s new closer would side down the Marlins 1-2-3, clinching the 70th win of the season.
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
