Categories: 2022 Postgame Recaps

Nick Maton’s clutch homer leads Phillies past Alcántara’s Marlins

Nick Maton’s second homer off Alcántara in the past week was the difference Tuesday. (Don Otto)

Final Score: Phillies 2, Marlins 1

Countless times, the 2022 Phillies have won games it felt like they shouldn’t have won. Chalk Tuesday — a road win against the Marlins in September, which once felt impossible for this franchise — up as yet another.

Behind a huge home run from Nick Maton, an excellent Bailey Falter outing and a perfect bullpen, the Phillies defeated Sandy Alcántara once again, starting their three-game series in Miami with a win that has to be a contender — even if it’s not the undisputed winner — for the “win of the season.”

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After each starter relatively cruised through two frames, the Phillies’ best early opportunity came in the third. A Brandon Marsh single, followed by a stolen base with an error on the throw-down, put a man on third with one out for the top of the lineup. However, that situation is far from a guarantee against Alcántara, who got Kyle Schwarber to pop out and Rhys Hoskins to strike out, stranding Marsh.

The Phillies then loaded the bases with two outs the following inning on three straight two-out singles — including the second of three knocks for Jean Segura. But Nick Maton couldn’t come through, grounding out softly to Alcántara. (File that one for later.)

Bryan De La Cruz, who scored the game-tying run during last Thursday’s blown save to the Marlins in Philadelphia, delivered what may have seemed like another gut-punching run (given Alcántara’s existence) on Tuesday. He homered just off the netting of the left-field foul pole to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

It once looked like the Phillies could at least knock Alcántara out of the game early, given that the right-hander threw 71 pitches through the first four innings. But he got through the sixth on just three pitches, including an inning-ending double play from Alec Bohm, and stayed on for the seventh.

Call it a blessing in disguise. Maton, who homered off Alcántara last week, came up to face him again with a runner on.

And he delivered.

Maton’s fifth homer of the season, two of which have come against the Cy Young favorite Alcántara, raised his OPS to 1.073 in a not-insignificant sample size of 60 plate appearances. Still, it was yet another unlikely contribution by the Phillies Day Care in a season full of such contributions.

The Phillies’ bullpen, which has also exceeded expectations this year, made it count. José Alvarado, the recently returned Seranthony Domínguez and David Robertson combined for three perfect innings to seal the deal.

It’s the third time the Phillies have won a game started by Alcántara this season, and more importantly, it inched the club ever closer to October: They now lead the Padres by two games and the Brewers by four in the wild card race, holding both tiebreakers.

They’re 79-62.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Sandy Alcántara: 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 103 pitches (71 strikes)

Maybe the Phillies are just Alcántara’s kryptonite (see below nugget). He did an impressive job giving the Marlins seven innings despite the early pitch count, but of course, that seventh inning came with the asterisk of Maton’s homer. His ERA is still a very good 2.43, and he’ll still probably win the National League Cy Young Award.

Bailey Falter: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 88 pitches (58 strikes)

Falter made, really, one mistake, and he never had any huge jams. He threw three 1-2-3 innings and never had a runner on second with fewer than two outs. He’s now gone six innings in five of his last six starts, and each of those five were quality starts. Falter, who has been vital for the Phillies down the stretch, lowered his ERA to 3.80.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

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