Phillies will have work cut out against Cy Young-frontrunner Sandy Alcántara

MIAMI — The Philadelphia Phillies have lost four games in a row and scored 12 runs total over their last six contests. That would make Friday evening an especially inopportune time to have to face Sandy Alcántara.

An All-Star for the second time in his career, Alcántara has been dominant against just about every opponent he’s faced in 2022, as he has a 9-3 record with a 1.73 ERA, 2.83 FIP and 3.6 fWAR. His 130 1/3 innings lead baseball by a long shot, as the next closest pitcher in the sport in terms of workload has been Aaron Nola, who has 118 1/3 innings pitched.

If you swing early in counts, you increase the chances that Alcántara pitches a complete game, which he’s already done twice this season. Even if you make the 26-year-old work, he’s thrown 105 or more pitches on eight occasions in 2022.

So how do the Phillies go about trying to avoid another disappointing offensive performance Friday?

“I think you just take your normal approach,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said prior to the first of three games against the Marlins. “You try to not chase and get good pitches to hit. If you get them, lay a good swing, use the field and try as best you can to wear him out because he’s got good stuff and throws strikes.”

All that, of course, is easier said than done. Alcántara is 6-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 12 career starts against the Phillies, and it feels like he’s been even better than that.

In the same way that the Marlins have had to try to hit against Zack Wheeler, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee during the midst of some insane stretches over the last 15 years, the Phillies will try to halt one of the more dominant pitching stretches in recent memory Friday.

Frankly, it’s not a great spot to be in when you are trying to avoid heading into the All-Star Break having lost all the momentum you gained in June and early July.

The Nuggets

• The Phillies announced Friday afternoon that they’ve reinstated LHP JoJo Romero (Tommy John surgery) from the 60-day injured list, while doing the same for Connor Brogdon from the COVID-related IL.
• Both Thomson and Ranger Suárez expressed optimism that the lefty will be able to return from a back injury and start Saturday. The 26-year-old hasn’t pitched since June 29.
• While there isn’t an exact timetable on when he’ll return, Zach Eflin is slated to do an up-down Saturday after a successful bullpen session in St. Louis. A right knee bruise has kept Eflin from pitching for the Phillies since June 25.
• Alec Bohm could play “in a pinch” Friday, and it sounds like it’s possible that he returns to the lineup Saturday after dislocating his right ring finger sliding into the second base bag Monday in St. Louis.
• Max Meyer — the No. 21 prospect in baseball — will make his Major League Debut for the Marlins Saturday against the Phillies. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Meyer had a 3-4 record with a 3.72 ERA and 65 strikeouts across 58 innings for the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
• The Marlins will wear their excellent City Connect uniforms Saturday.

Phillies Lineup

1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. Nick Castellanos, RF
4. Darick Hall, DH
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Bryson Stott, 2B
7. Matt Vierling, 3B
8. Didi Gregorius, SS
9. Mickey Moniak, CF

Pitcher: RHP Kyle Gibson

Marlins Lineup

1. Joey Wendle, 2B
2. Garrett Cooper, 1B
3. Jesús Aguilar, DH
4. Jorge Soler, LF
5. Avisaíl García, RF
6. Brian Anderson, 3B
7. Bryan De La Cruz, CF
8. Miguel Rojas, SS
9. Jacob Stallings, C

Pitcher: RHP Sandy Alcántara

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