PHILADELPHIA— After grinding out a series split with the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies now turn their attention to the Miami Marlins.
A club that has consistently given them trouble, the Marlins head into Friday’s action with a surprising 8-10 record. The young team has been full of excitement, including 3 walk-off wins in their opening series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Many faces have changed since these two teams last played. However, one constant remains in Sandy Alcantara. Alcantara will lace up his cleats Friday night against Zack Wheeler, and a pitcher’s duel is expected to commence.
Entering action on Friday evening, the Phillies (11-8) sit in second place of the National League East by 1 game. The New York Mets (12-7) cling to a tight lead. Both of those clubs will face off starting Monday in a three-game series in New York.
Pitching Matchups
Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.07 ERA) will take the mound for the 5th time in the 2025 season. Wheeler was roughed up in each of his last 2 outings, combining for a total of 9 earned runs. While poor defense has accounted for a few, this is not the performance many expected to see out of the Phillies’ ace. He is looking for a bounce-back against the Marlins.
Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner, will toe the rubber for Miami. Alcantara missed all of the 2024 season after having Tommy John surgery. He is slowly returning to form, starting his season 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA across 3 starts.
On Saturday afternoon, the Phillies will send Taijuan Walker to the mound. Walker is 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his 3 starts this season. Walker started his year of with 11.2 scoreless innings before allowing 6 runs against the Giants. An explosive inning that was aided by his own personal throwing error, cost the Phillies on Monday night. After the bad second, Walker would settle in, tossing 3 scoreless before concluding his evening.
The Marlins will send Cal Quantrill to the mound to oppose Walker. Quantrill is 1-1 with a 5.79 earned run average in 3 starts this season. After a breakout season in 2024 with the Colorado Rockies, he signed a deal with the Marlins in this offseason. Miami is hoping that Quantrill will look closer to the starter he was with the Rockies last year.
On Easter Sunday, the Phillies will send Jesús to the mound to close out the series with the Marlins. By Jesús, I of course mean Jesús Luzardo. The former Marlin will get his first chance to pitch against his former team. Luzardo has been stellar as a Phillie, rocking a 2-0 record with a 2.31 earned run average in his four starts. He enters play with 29 strikeouts, good for the 7th best in baseball.
Connor Gillispie will take the ball for the Marlins in Sunday’s finale. Gillispie spent last season with the Cleveland Guardians before joining Miami. Gillispie is 0-2 with a 6.63 earned run average in his 4 starts. Despite not having much big league success, this is typically the caliber of pitcher who the Phillies struggle against.
Phillies-Marlins: Watson’s Watchlist
There are two players to keep an eye on in this series against the Miami Marlins:
Alec Bohm
The Phillies’ third baseman has gone through the wringer to start the 2025 season. The Giants series offered Bohm a bit of grace as he went 4-15 with 2 extra-base hits and 2 runs batted in. He has a 4-game hitting streak heading into the Marlins series and has a career .294 average in 56 games against Miami.
The Phillies need Bohm to find his stroke at the plate if they are serious about contending in 2025. Bohm had finished the last two seasons with 97 RBIs in each season, proving he can be an elite run producer. So far in 2025, Bohm has 5 RBIs and is on pace for half of last season’s total.
I would expect Alec Bohm to have a good series against a Marlins pitching staff that is not very strong. This could be the breakout series that the Phillies’ third baseman needs to regain his mojo in 2025.
Max Kepler
One of the newest Phillies has been solid to start his tenure with the club. Kepler is hitting just .228 in his 16 games of 2025, but the last week has seen the Phillies’ left fielder start to find himself. Kepler’s exit velocity is rising, and even his outs have been hard-hit baseballs.
With three right-handed starters in the Marlins’ rotation, Kepler will get the chance to start every game this weekend. Like Bohm, Kepler can use this series as a chance to get hot at the right time. His 4 doubles are tied with Edmundo Sosa for second place on the team (Castellanos has 5). A couple of extra base hits in key moments would do wonders for Kepler and his team this weekend.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
