Categories: 2020 Postgame Recaps

Marlins take 5 of 7, stomp Phillies

Final Score: Marlins 6, Phillies 2

When asked about the upcoming seven-game Marlins series on Sept. 4, Vince Velasquez said “We’re going to step on them for sure.”

Turns out, the Marlins were the ones who did all the stepping on. They crushed Velasquez through 3 2/3 innings and won five out of seven against the Phillies. They’re 7-3 against the Phillies this season and have a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for second place in the NL East. The Phillies now sit at 23-23.

Vince Velasquez struggled in his second start since returning to the rotation. (JCS/Icon Sportswire)

The offense continued to struggle without two of their best bats in Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto. They mustered only two runs off two solo shots and managed to go hitless from the third through eighth inning.

The only positive to take out of this game was Blake Parker’s continued dominance out of the bullpen. He struck out four batters through 1 1/3 innings. Perhaps a high-leverage role is in the making for Parker. Adam Morgan also looked sharp in his relief appearance.

Top Plays

Andrew McCutchen began the game with a home run to center field. That was his third lead-off home run in a Phillies uniform.

Velasquez began the game setting the Marlins down 1-2-3 on just 13 pitches.
Velasquez struggled in the second. He gave up an RBI single to Marlins rookie Jazz Chisholm, who was acquired last season in the Zac Gallen trade. Somehow, that was the only run scored in the bottom of the second. He managed to strand two runners in scoring position.

In his first career at-bat, Rafael Marchan knocked a hit into center field. Marchan’s contract was selected from Lehigh Valley in between games on Sunday. He’ll fill in for Andrew Knapp as the team’s backup catcher while Realmuto battles hip discomfort.

With two runners on and two out, Alec Bohm struck out on three pitches. It’s unusual to see him fail to get a hit in that situation. He came into this game 13-for-29 with runners in scoring position.
Jesús Aguilar registered his sixth hit of the series in the third. It was a two-run double that gave the Marlins a 3-1 lead.

Brian Anderson notched his fifth RBI of the series in the fourth, doubling to left-center field to make it a 4-1 game.

David Phelps came into the game in the sixth and immediately surrendered a home run to Miguel Rojas, making it a 5-1 game.

Phelps surrendered another home run in the seventh. That’s the fifth he has given up since being traded from the Brewers to the Phillies. Starling Martie’s home run was his seventh RBI of the series.

Right fielder Matt Joyce made two incredible basket catches in the fifth and seventh innings. As we said on Twitter, it looks like Joyce could find a home on a certain Philadelphia football team when the season is over.

The Phillies offense finally showed a sign of life in the eighth. Kingery, who came off the injured list earlier today, homered to make it a 6-2 game. It was the first Phillies hit since the third inning.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Vince Velasquez: 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 76 pitches

The Phillies needed a much better outing from Velasquez. He gave up three extra-base hits through 3 2/3 innings and struggled to put away hitters with two strikes. The team is currently short on arms in the rotation, so Velasquez is going to have to put this outing behind him and bear down against the Blue Jays.

Pablo López: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 95 pitches

López struggled in his last two starts. He gave up 13 combined earned runs in his last two starts, but after facing the Phillies’ depleted offense, he’s back on track. That seems to be happening a lot this season.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Pablo López

López once again tied a career-high seven innings pitched in the victory over Philadelphia. One of the biggest reasons why the Marlins’ future is incredibly bright is because they have a surplus of young controllable arms and the 24-year-old López is one of them.

Quote of the Game

Realmuto was asked after the game if poor play along with injuries at the wrong time could cost the team a playoff spot.

“To be honest, I’m pretty confident right now that we’re going to be just fine. It was a pretty tough series here in Miami for us, but I’m confident when we get back home, we’ll get back going in the right direction.

“Right now, we’re in a playoff spot and we really haven’t played very well, so we just need to play better. That’s what it comes down to.”

Ticket IQ Next Game