Usually, a series win against a team in September that will miss the playoffs is just that: a win. It's a step further for a winning team on its way to the postseason. This 2-1 series win against the Miami Marlins may become a focal point of the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies' season.
Phillies-Marlins Recap
The series started innocuously enough. Lefty ace Cristopher Sánchez earned his 12th win of the season with 7 innings pitched with one earned run. His ERA fell to 2.60 with the performance. The Phillies provided plenty of offense to secure an easy win.
For the first time since October 1, 2022, the entire Phillies' starting outfield homered in the game. Max Kepler homered in the 2nd inning, while Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh homered in the 4th. In 2022, the feat was accomplished by Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Matt Vierling. Bryson Stott also added to the homering, and Trea Turner had a 4-hit game. The Phillies won 9-4.
Saturday's game featured an equally good pitching performance from Jesús Luzardo. "Zeus" pitched a quality start, allowing two runs in 6 IP. He struck out eight Marlins hitters, raising his season total to 190 K. He needs 19 more to set a new career high.
Bryce Harper hit a 2-run homer off Sandy Alcantara in the 1st inning to get the scoring going. Harrison Bader and Bryson Stott both recorded RBIs to give Luzardo much-needed run support. David Robertson, Matt Strahm, and Jhoan Duran all threw scoreless innings to slam the door on the Marlins. The Phillies won 4-2.
Sunday Finale
Sunday's matchup started as rough as possible. Starter Taijuan Walker allowed five hits and two walks in the 1st inning, surrendering four runs off the bat. The Phillies did attempt to mount a comeback. Nick Castellanos had an RBI triple. Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh both singled for an RBI. Trea Turner hit his 15th home run of the season. Overall, the team went 2-12 with runners in scoring position in a bullpen game for the Marlins. The Phillies lost 4-2.
Worst of all, in the 7th inning, Trea Turner reached on an error but immediately left the field and went to the clubhouse with the Phillies' trainer. Later, it was revealed that he had a right hamstring strain. He will undergo an MRI on Monday.
Losing Trea Turner for any significant time would be a huge blow to the Phillies. Turner was leading the National League in hits (179) and batting average (.305). He's been the Phillies' best hitter of the second half of the season. In his last 30 games, Turner was slashing .389/.433/.603. He had more RBI than strikeouts in that span (24-22).
