J.T. Realmuto homers in return to lineup; Michael Lorenzen excellent in Phillies debut

FINAL: Phillies 4, Marlins 2

J.T. Realmuto didn’t wait long to announce his return to the lineup on Thursday afternoon.

After missing the Phillies’ previous two games due to a hand injury, the catcher did damage in his first at-bat back on the field against his former team, the Miami Marlins. Realmuto shot a two-run home run over the right-field wall in the top of the second inning, striking first for Philadelphia in a 4-2 win at loanDepot Park to clinch a series win in the final of a four-game set.

Former fish on fish crime pic.twitter.com/PnfTvDTg7p

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) August 3, 2023

Realmuto’s opposite-field blast drove in Nick Castellanos to put the Phillies ahead 2-0. He later added a single as he went 2-for-4 with the two RBIs, a positive sign for the 32-year-old backstop who’s been banged up and entered Thursday with a .756 OPS, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2015.

Behind the plate, Realmuto appeared to connect well with starter Michael Lorenzen in their first game as a battery. Lorenzen was solid in his Phillies debut, which came just two days after he was traded to Philadelphia from Detroit ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

The right-hander threw eight quality innings — the first Phillies pitcher to toss eight innings in his debut for the team since Cliff Lee in 2009 — allowing two runs as he scattered five Marlins hits, walked one and struck out five. Lorenzen threw 65 strikes out of 93 pitches as he filled the zone and induced favorable contact throughout his outing.

Lorenzen allowed a fourth-inning RBI double to Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the Marlins cut the score to 2-1, but he brushed it off to continue the strong start.

And after Brandon Marsh hit a two-run single in the seventh, the Phillies had enough cushion to handle a solo home run from Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz in the bottom of the inning.

Brandon Marsh has had himself an excellent series in Miami. pic.twitter.com/ErSZaZO84s

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) August 3, 2023

Despite surrendering the homer in the seventh, Lorenzen trotted back out for the eighth and picked up right where he left off. He worked around a two-out single to get Josh Bell to line out and complete his excellent debut.

Right-hander Seranthony Domínguez entered for the Phillies in the bottom of the ninth, earning the save with a scoreless inning.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Friday, August 4 vs. Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park
• 7:05 p.m. Eastern
• TV: NBC 10 and MLB Network (out-of-market only)
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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