The Phillies secured the series win in a four-game series against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Thursday night. Cristopher Sanchez was stellar, while the Phillies’ offense scratched enough runs across the board to pick up a victory in Miami.
Sanchez was excellent, allowing five hits over eight innings with four strikeouts and one earned run. “I thought he [Sanchez] was dominant,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on NBC Sports Network’s postgame show.
It was a sleepy baseball game in front of a pro-Philly crowd in the final contest of the series. Miami’s outfielder Dane Myers scored on a soft infield single by Nick Fortes for a 1-0 Miami advantage in the fifth inning to open the scoring in the pitchers’ duel against Edward Cabera. Miami’s starter baffled Phillies hitters through 6.1 innings before his surprising exit at the hands of Marlins skipper Clatyton McCullough.
Phillies Rally Late
The Phillies manufactured a game-tying rally in the seventh inning. Alec Bohm led off the inning with a single, and Cabrera was shockingly removed from the game after striking out Nick Castellanos. “If he’s [Cabrera] throwing strikes,” Thomson said postgame. “He’s got really good stuff. He’s a tough at-bat.”
Marlins reliever Cade Gibson entered the game. He allowed a single to Max Kepler before hitting Otto Kemp with a pitch to load the bases for Bryson Stott. The Phillies infielder hit a hard ground ball to third for a fielder’s choice as Bohm scored the tying run at 1-1.
While he was 1-4 on the day, Bohm has been scorching hot in June with a .345 batting average with 20 hits and 12 RBIs over his last 15 games. Many questioned Bohm’s batting average early in the season, but the Omaha, Nebraska native has raised his numbers to a very respectable .291 average before July.
After Sanchez sat the Marlins down in order, Kyle Schwarber smashed a mammoth home run to center field for a 2-1 Phillies advantage late into the Miami night. “He’s kind of been in between it a little, but that was a huge home run,” Thomson said following the 2-1 victory. Schwarber moved into sole possession of fourth place in MLB in HRs this season with his 23rd round-tripper in 2025. He trails the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (25), the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (26), and the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh (27).
Sanchez shut down the Marlins in the eighth inning for his final inning of duty with a final stat line featuring just five hits and one earned run against. “That’s always going to be a priority to me—to pitch to contact and command the zone and pitches,” said Sanchez via interpreter Diego D’Aniello, on the NBCSN postgame show. “That’s always going to keep us in the game.”
Orion Kirkering picked up the save in the ninth inning despite allowing the tying run to reach third base. It is Kerkering’s second save of the series as Phillies manager Rob Thomson continues to turn to the 24-year-old reliever in high-pressure situations. Kerkering is 5-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 34 appearances out of the bullpen in 2025 and recorded two saves against Miami this week.
With the win, the Phillies improve to 45-30 on the 2025 season. Philly moves into a first-place tie in the NL East with the currently struggling New York Mets (45-30), who have lost six straight games. Zach Wheeler opens the three-game weekend series at Citizens Bank Park at 7:15 PM EST on Friday night.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
