The Philadelphia Phillies are entering the final push for their postseason push. The Miami Marlins travel north to Citizens Bank Park for the final series of the season for the divisional rivals. There are high expectations for the Phightins in this series. The idea was to win the series and continue on the path to October. Things did not play out that way with this Phillies flop.
Where It All Went Wrong
After Christopher Sanchez went five scoreless innings, the Phillies were moving towards victory. Sanchez was only up to 82 pitches but was pulled after five by manager Rob Thompson. This ended up being a costly decision. The Marlins would strike back and tie the game up at two a piece. Righty Seranthony Domínguez on the mound and a runner at second with two outs, Schumaker pinch-hit left-handed-hitting Jesús Sánchez for righty Garrett Hampson. The move paid off, as Sánchez blasted a game-tying two-run homer to right-center. The nail in the coffin came from Jacob Stallings. He would line the go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of Friday night’s 3-2 comeback victory over the Phillies.
Saturday was a different story. You would see Nick Castellano in the eight-hole start the scoring with a bases-clearing double in the second inning. Kyle Schwarber would see his 2 RBI double and raise him a three-run homer to the bullpen. Phillies are up 5-0. Aaron Nola has another shaky inning in the 5th. Nola and Hoffman allow the Marlins to sneak back into the game with a score of 5-4. Brandon Marsh would play hero with the bases loaded. He would clear the bases, scoring Turner, Harper, and Stott putting the game out of reach for the fish. The Phillies bullpen would not allow a run. The Phillies tied the series at one, scoring 8-4.
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday would see Ranger Suarez on the hill. He pitched well into the seventh inning. The Phillies were up 3-0 at this point after a couple of homers from the two hottest Phillies currently, Turner and Schwarber. Ranger would tally up ten strikeouts but let up three earned runs in the seventh to tie the game. Seranthony would allow a two-run home to Bryan De La Cruz giving the Marlins the lead. The Phillies would have chances and Castellanos drove in one run. Runners in scoring position continue to be a problem. The Phillies lost 5-4.
The Good News
Philadelphia stays in the first wildcard spot with the Chicago Cubs two games behind them in the second spot. The problem is they are about to embark on a four-game series with the red-hot Atlanta Braves. It kicks off with a day-night doubleheader on Monday. They need to play mistake-free baseball over the next series.
Kyle Schawarber has 11 homers since they played the Cardinals a couple of weeks ago. Nick Castellanos is seeing more pitches in the eight hole and driving the ball. Trea Turner has a batting average of .415 with 17 hits, 9 home runs, 19 RBIs, and 15 runs scored in 10 games since the Angels series.
The road to the postseason will not be easy. The hardest part starts Monday. Things become even more interesting with this Phillies flop against the Marlins.
Al is one of the two co-creators of Edge of Philly Sports. Al started radio and podcasting in 2012 and covering sports in 2015. A lifelong Philly sports fan since watching the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers with his grandfathers at age 7. Al always looks at the other side of the hot topics and gives his different outlook on those topics. Web and Graphic Design.
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