Phillies strangle Marlins behind Suarez and a big 7-8-9 night originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
MIAMI — They’re not 27-12 just because of their starting rotation, star-studded lineup or situational hitting, or because their difference in talent compared to most clubs on most nights is enough to overcome imperfect performances.
The Phillies are 27-12 because the production has come from everywhere, moving from series to series, city to city.
They went 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position on Friday, for example, but won easily behind Ranger Suarez. The final was 8-2, but it seemed even more lopsided due to the Marlins’ lifeless offense and mistakes on the field.
The victory was the Phils’ 10th in the last 11 series openers. They have outscored their opponents 66-20 in those games.
The Phillies have won 12 of 14 and six of seven games since Trea Turner was hampered by a hamstring strain. They haven’t faced a difficult schedule thus far, but they have dealt with their share of challenging starting pitchers over the past two weeks: Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Dylan Cease, Logan Webb, Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott.
Friday night was a different story as the Phillies took advantage of left-hander Trevor Rogers, who has struggled with command for three consecutive seasons since finishing second to Jonathan India in the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year race. .
Miami’s Nick Castellanos hit a 400-foot solo homer to right-center field on the first pitch he saw in the top of the second to start the scoring. It was in the same spot as his ninth-inning home run last week at Angel Stadium, and both times he knew it right away.
As they have been doing for over a month, the Phils continued to advance. Edmundo Sosa fought for a double and scored on a two-out RBI single up the middle by Johan Rojas, who also stole a base in the fifth, singled with two outs in the seventh and scored to start the ninth. The Phillies have 80 RBI with two strikeouts this season, seven more than any team in the major leagues and 10 more than any team in the National League. These are setbacks, especially when they come from the bottom of the order.
The 6-7-8-9 hitters kept pace in the fourth inning to chase Rogers. Whit Merrifield hit an error to start the frame, Sosa walked and eight-hole hitter Cristian Pache doubled in Merrifield. Sosa and Pache scored when the lineup changed and Kyle Schwarber scored.
Pache got another rally together in the fifth when he scored with one out to set up the Phillies to score on third baseman Jake Burger’s second error of the game.
Pache started for the second time since April 24th. The Phillies will face lefties all weekend, with Jesus Luzardo scheduled to return from the injured list on Saturday and Braxton Garrett on Sunday. They’ll see another Monday in New York in Sean Manaea.
As such, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh had the night off on Friday. Merrifield played second and Pache played left field. That doesn’t mean Stott and Marsh will sit for three or four of those games, but Rob Thomson identified the series opener as a place for Pache to start and second-year Phillie made their coach look smart.
Pache’s best series as a Phillie came in this very park last July, when he hit a two-run homer off the bench in the ninth inning, doubled in a run the next day and homered in the final. Shortly after that series, he was placed on the injured list because of irritation in his right elbow caused by a screw inserted years earlier. That situation opened the door for Rojas’ first big league call-up and Pache has been trying to get into the lineup ever since.
Suarez had another stress-free night, striking out the Marlins in seven innings to improve to 7-0 with a 1.50 ERA. He has faced the minimum three batters in 28 of his 54 innings this season, allowing just 31 hits and walking eight batters while striking out 55.
The Phillies have won for the 11th straight time behind Suarez since last September. He didn’t put more than one man on base in any inning, and as the Phillies racked up long half-innings, his first five didn’t last much longer than a commercial break.
Taijuan Walker looks to keep the good vibes going on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. As his two starts demonstrated, he doesn’t need to be perfect to put this team in a high position to win. He allowed nine runs in 12⅔ innings, but the Phillies won both games. Zack Wheeler goes on Sunday, giving the Phillies a great chance to win at least two of three again.
