Categories: 2024 Postgame Recaps

Ranger Suárez, Phillies keep on rolling with big win against Marlins

Ranger Suárez is 7-0 over his first eight starts of the season. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 8, Marlins 2

loanDepot/Marlins Park has been a house of horrors for the Phillies over the years, but nothing seems to frighten this version of the club.

The Phillies (27-12) crushed the last-place Miami Marlins 8-2 in the first of a three-game weekend set in South Florida. Nick Castellanos homered in his first at-bat, Johan Rojas went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs and Cristian Pache doubled his hit total on the season in his first start since May 1. Every Phillies starter besides Whit Merrifield recorded at least one base hit.

Ranger Suárez’s other-worldly start to the season continued. The left-hander took advantage of an expanded strike zone from home plate umpire Cory Blaser and struck out nine over seven innings to earn his seventh win of the season, becoming the first pitcher in MLB to reach that mark this season. The first seven batters Suárez retired on strikes were caught looking. His ERA is down to 1.50.

The Marlins looked the part of a rebuilding team in their first game against the Phillies since Game 2 of the 2023 Wild Card series. After going 8-7 against Miami last year, the Phillies will need to bank even more wins against struggling teams like the Marlins to stay in the NL East race with the Atlanta Braves.

Highlights

This is a great sign. Castellanos crushed a pitch on the lower outside part of the plate the opposite way to give the Phillies an early lead.

After going 2-for-19 during the homestand, Rojas contributed early with an RBI single to make it 2-0 in the second inning.
The Phillies chased Rogers out after 3 1/3 after a three-run fourth inning. Cristian Pache scored a run with a double and Kyle Schwarber plated two more with an RBI single. The Phillies had bases loaded and one out against reliever Declan Cronin, but Alec Bohm and Castellanos grounded out to end the threat.

Rojas pulled a fly ball to left field over the wall to make it 7-0.

Notes

The Marlins are now 1-15 this season against left-handed starting pitchers.
Rojas’ 110.4 mph single in the second inning was the hardest-hit ball of his career.
Per John Foley of PHLY Sports, Suárez and Steve Carlton are the only Phillies pitchers to go 7-0 in their first eight starts in a season.
According to Paul Boye, Suárez now has the lowest ERA (1.50) among Phillies pitchers in their first eight starts in a season, surpassing Roy Halladay, who had a 1.59 ERA in his first eight starts of the 2010 season.
Nick’s first-inning home run was a touching tribute to Tiger, the Castellanos family dog who passed away on Friday morning.

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