Phillies struggle to find answers as NL East, Wild Card race tightens
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PHILADELPHIA -- Nobody will remember what happened to the Phillies in late July, if they win in October.
But they better start playing better if they want to get there.
They haven’t played good baseball since the All-Star break, including Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to the Marlins at loadDepot park. Miami entered the series on Monday having lost a franchise-record 12 consecutive games, but they swept the Phillies to move within two games of them in the NL East and NL Wild Card standings.
Not good.
The Phillies blew a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning. It’s the first time the Phillies blew a six-run lead and lost since Aug. 29, 2022, against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. They had a 7-0 lead and lost, 13-7.
Ranger Suarez started that game. Cristopher Sánchez followed in relief.
On Wednesday, Bryson Stott hit a two-run double in the third. Bryan De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 3-0. Trea Turner’s solo homer to open the fifth sparked a three-run rally.
But then everything fell apart.
Jesús Luzardo allowed three runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a two-run home run to Heriberto Hernández. He allowed two of the first three batters he faced in the seventh to reach base, then allowed a run-scoring single to Otto Lopez to cut the Phillies’ lead to 6-4.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly brought Seth Johnson from the bullpen to face Hernández. Johnson entered the game with a 5.74 ERA in 15 appearances this season, striking out 20 and walking 13 in 15 2/3 innings. Johnson’s 17.1% walk rate is the highest by a Phillies pitcher (minimum 10 innings) since José Alvarado (18.7%) in 2021.
Johnson got Hernández to pop out for the second out. But then he walked Liam Hicks on five pitches to load the bases. Xavier Edwards’ single to left field scored two runs to tie the game.
Johnson threw a wild pitch to move Hicks and Edwards to second and third, but Javier Sanoja popped out to end the inning.
Griffin Conine hit a two-run homer in the eighth against Jonathan Bowlan to give the Marlins the lead.