Marlins' key quartet provides spark in win vs. Phils

MIAMI -- With one game remaining before the All-Star break, the Marlins (52-39) are guaranteed to finish the first half second in the National League East and in postseason position … just as everyone predicted, right?

Where would the Marlins be without the quartet of Braxton Garrett, Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and A.J. Puk?

“Our record's not even close to that,” manager Skip Schumaker said.

While Garrett delivered five innings, All-Stars Soler and Arraez drove in a combined three runs and Puk recorded the save in Saturday’s 5-3 victory over the Phillies at loanDepot park.

“You would hope for Arraez and Soler to have good years coming out of [the] spring, but Brax has really stepped up when our rotation has taken a few hits,” Schumaker said. “I didn't expect Arraez to hit .380. Don't get me wrong -- I expected him to hit over .300. I expected Soler to have a nice year, hopefully an All-Star year. But what Brax is doing, he came out of spring as a long man. To have this and what he's doing, giving us a chance to win every single time, I don't know where we'd be without him.”

Despite not having his best stuff, Garrett limited Philadelphia to three runs on six hits and no walks. He has issued no more than one free pass in 15 of his 17 starts -- the best among NL starters -- and given up no more than three runs in 10 of his past 11 outings.

As a result, the Marlins are 14-3 in Garrett’s starts. Exclude his career-worst start against the Braves on May 3 (11 ER/4 1/3 IP) and his ERA would be 2.76 -- the fourth lowest in the NL. Keep in mind that Garrett began the season as the odd man out in the rotation. That didn’t last long, though, as veteran righty Johnny Cueto got hurt one inning into his Marlins debut and has been on the injured list ever since.

“It was great,” Garrett said of his first half. “I don't have any complaints. [Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.] always gets on me. I'm very critical in bullpens, sometimes. I can be real hard on myself. And he tries to help me see the good, and obviously it's been a good first half. I just want to continue to get better. There's a lot of stuff to get better at still.”

After Garrett surrendered a solo homer to Trea Turner in the first, Soler replied in the bottom half with his 23rd homer of the season -- the fourth most in the NL. With the long ball, Soler matched the franchise record for the fifth-most dingers prior to the All-Star break. Soler also worked a leadoff walk in the third and added a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Schumaker kept Arraez -- who continues to flirt with .400 but entered Saturday batting a pedestrian .345 in July -- out of the lineup for the first time since June 29. The first-year manager took into consideration Arraez’s upcoming cross-country flight to Seattle for the Midsummer Classic festivities.

Arraez’s breather didn’t last long. He pinch-hit for Jon Berti with one out in the seventh with runners at first and second, working a six-pitch at-bat against righty Yunior Marte to deliver an RBI single to right-center and bump Miami’s lead to two runs.

“Amazing,” said Arraez, who will be participating in his second straight All-Star Game. “First, I'm healthy. And then we play really good baseball. I feel at home. This is my family, and I just come here with a lot of energy and then give it my 100% every time when I go play. I enjoy this.”

Then there’s Puk, whom the Marlins acquired in a trade with the A’s a day before pitchers reported to Spring Training. By Opening Day, the former first-round pick was assigned the closer’s role for the first time in his career.

Entering the homestand, Puk had been reliable, going 13-for-15 in save opportunities outside of an IL stint with left elbow nerve irritation. But the 6-foot-7 southpaw blew consecutive save chances this week, including Friday’s crushing loss on a go-ahead two-out pinch-hit homer by former Oakland teammate Cristian Pache.

No worries. Schumaker was confident in sending Puk back out on Saturday. Miami’s bullpen success wouldn’t be without him.

“For a while, really good,” Puk said of his first half. “I had a little streak there, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it. And I'm looking to continue to have a really strong half.”