Final Score: Phillies 5, Marlins 2
After Ranger Suárez’s last start against the Atlanta Braves, Rob Thomson said that the Phillies will build him up starting in his next outing against Miami.
Maybe that explains why Suárez began the game with an 87 mph sinker, down from his typical average velocity of 91 mph. Of the 39 sinkers and four seamers he threw, 26 were below 90 mph.
Despite the diminished velocity, Suárez mowed down a relatively weak Miami Marlins lineup. He threw five shutout innings, allowed three hits, two walks and struck out four to earn his 12th win of the season. He threw 82 pitches, a little less than the 90-95 pitches Thomson said he wants him to build up to.
With the victory, the Phillies now have the best record in MLB. At 84-56, they are now tied in the standings with the Dodgers. Philadelphia has the tiebreaker over Los Angeles by virtue of winning the season series, 5-1. The lead over Milwaukee for a bye to the Division Series is now at three games. The division lead is at eight with a Braves loss to the Rockies.
The magic number to clinch the NL East is 15.
Highlights
- A bloop base hit the other way from Bryson Stott gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
- With the bases loaded and one out, Johan Rojas swung at a pitch way off the plate and hit into an inning-ending double play. Through the first four, the Phillies left five runners on base and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
- Old friend Cristian Pache hit a chopper in front of the mound. Suárez ran it down and fired the ball to first for the second out of the fifth.
- The Phillies scored four runs in the sixth to expand the lead to 5-0. Stott kicked it off with his 11th home run on the season and Kody Clemens drove in two on a double against Anthony Veneziano. Clemens, in for Alec Bohm at third base, later scored on a wild pitch.
Notes
- Suárez’s season ERA is back down to under three at 2.90.
- Could this be the year Suárez finally wins a Gold Glove? Once again, he won’t qualify for the award. Eligible players need to have thrown 138 innings by the team’s 138th game. Suárez came into the Phillies’ 140th game of the year with 128 1/3 innings pitched.
- Over his last seven games, Stott is batting .273 with a 1.104 OPS.
- Bohm (left hand discomfort) missed his sixth straight game.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Friday, September 6 vs. Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park
- 7:10 p.m. EST
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- 1210 WPHT
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