PHILADELPHIA— That ball is outta here!
The Philadelphia Phillies knew that Bryce Harper was starting to see the ball well. Harper himself spoke the other day and said he was just a few games away from locking in for the season.
His second deck blast in the first inning confirmed it. Harper crushed a hanging slider from Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara and did not miss in the slightest. His blast gave the Phillies an early 2-run lead, and they never looked back. Clutch hitting, moving runners when able, and dominant pitching were the recipe against the Marlins.
A 7-2 victory gave the club their 11th win of the season, marking their first series-opening win since they played the Dodgers on April 4th.
Wheelin’ and Dealin’
Zack Wheeler took the mound for the Phillies in his fifth start of 2025. After a couple of rough outings, Wheeler was determined to get back to his Cy Young caliber self. Heading into the ballgame, the Phillies’ starter held an 11-4 record with a 2.73 earned run average lifetime against the Marlins.
You could tell from the first pitch of the game that Wheeler was dialed in. His fastball velocity was back up in the 96 miles per hour range, and he looked unhittable early. He retired the first 7 Marlins’ batters to start the ballgame. Wheeler also recorded 4 strikeouts in his first time through the starting lineup.
As the game moved along, the Phillies’ ace seemingly got better. After striking out the side in the fourth, Wheeler had accumulated 8 strikeouts in the first four innings of play.
Everybody Hits!
Sandy Alcantara has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball over the last 5 seasons. For whatever reason, the Phillies have proven to be his kryptonite. Alcantara has a lifetime 6-8 record with a 3.40 ERA in his 19 career starts against the Phillies. He would fall to 6-9 on Friday night.
After Harper’s home run in the first inning, the Phillies never let Alcantara settle into the game. The first four batters of the second inning would reach base safely. This included a Max Kepler walk, a J.T. Realmuto single, an Alec Bohm RBI single, and a Johan Rojas RBI single.
Bryson Stott would score Bohm on a sac fly for the first out of the inning. Then Rojas would come in to score on Sandy Alcantara’s 2nd wild pitch of the evening. That would be it for the Marlins’ ace, as he was lifted at the conclusion of the frame.
His final line: 2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, and 1 HR.
Phillies Stay Hot
After a few scoreless innings, Kyle Schwarber would step to the plate in the bottom of the 5th. Schwarber, to that point, had been the only Phillie to not reach base safely in the ballgame. Schwarber decided that he would join his teammates. A drive deep into the Phillies’ bullpen would give him his hit and give the Phillies a 7-0 lead.
In the top of the 6th inning, Miami would finally get on the board. First baseman Eric Wagaman would find a pitch he liked. Wagaman’s blast would put 2 runs on the board, making it a 7-2 game. That home run would be the 5th allowed by Wheeler this season, making it 1 home run per start. He allowed 20 total in the 2024 season in 32 outings.
Wheeker returned for the 7th inning, where he would strike out the side for the second time in the game. That would end Wheeler’s night with 13 strikeouts. The Phillies had their starting pitchers in back-to-back games finish with at least 12 punchouts.
Wheeler’s final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 13 Ks, and 1 HR allowed.
Shutting the Door
In the top half of the 8th inning, the Phillies would send Tanner Banks to the mound in relief. The change in velocity between the two pitchers was stark, giving the edge against the Marlins’ batters.
Banks would allow a leadoff walk but retire the next three hitters to end a scoreless 8th. Banks would lower his earned run average on the season to an even 3.00. He would then pave the way for Jose Ruiz, who would take the ball in the 9th.
A minor but notable at-bat took place in the bottom of the 8th inning. Johan Rojas would earn his second hit of the night, beating out an infield single without a throw. This raised his batting average to .292 for the season.
In the top of the 9th, Jose Ruiz would finish the job for the Phillies.
Post-Game
After the ballgame, Rob Thomson spoke with the media on Friday night.
Thomson confirmed that Kody Clemens pinch-running for Nick Castellanos was a precautionary move. The goal was to get Castellanos off the bases in that situation, and the 7-run lead helped lead to Thomson’s decision.
When asked about the 3-4-5 combination of Harper, Schwarber, and Castellanos, Thomson praised the combination, stating, “It’s worked out pretty well, and [Bryson] Stott is getting on-base. I think hitting Schwarber behind Harper forces them to pitch to Harper. It’s working good.”
I asked Thomson about Bohm’s 5-game hitting streak and if he felt his third baseman had turned the page. He replied, “I hope so; he is swinging the bat good, I like the way he is going about it. He’s playing good defense and playing good baseball right now.”
Finally, he also touched on an excellent start by Zack Wheeler.
“He was great. A lot of strikes, ahead in the count., I thought the [splitter] was good, and he had a lot of ride in his fastball. It was getting above the barrel and below the barrel… I thought he was really good.”
Overall, it was a good night of baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. They return to action Saturday at 1:05 pm for game two of the series.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
