September 08, 2024
Looking to continue a red-hot stretch and solidify their standing as the overwhelming favorite in the National League East, the Phillies headed to Miami with a terrific opportunity in front of them: playing four games against the 52-87 Marlins with the chance to bolster their record and pad their division lead.
A big sixth inning combined with good pitching gave the Phillies a 5-2 victory on Thursday night in the series opener. The following night, the Phillies' offense had perhaps its strongest nine innings of 2024, collecting 22 hits while Zack Wheeler dominated en route to a 16-2 blowout victory. On Saturday afternoon, though, Aaron Nola's long stretch of outstanding starts came to a close, as the right-hander allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned runs) in 4.2 innings of work, with the Phillies falling 9-5. On Sunday afternoon, the team called up Seth Johnson, 25, to make his major-league debut in the series finale -- and things could not have gone worse. The Marlins teed off against Johnson, who only recorded seven outs before exiting, while the Phillies failed to make anything happen with their bats. The Phillies dropped their second game in a row, this time by a score of 10-1, splitting the series against a last-place Marlins club.
Here is what stood out from this four-game set:
In his third start since returning from a stint on the shelf which lasted nearly a month, Suárez threw five scoreless innings against the Marlins on Thursday night. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four. Statistically, it was his strongest outing in multiple months. But there were some reasons to be concerned.
First of all, Suárez's velocity was noticeably down for most of his start. Each of his pitches sat between 2-3 miles per hour lower than it typically does, and while it is not as if Suárez's success is predicated upon overmatching hitters with triple-digit fastballs, it is always a serious issue if velocity is down considerably across the board.
On top of that, Suárez only threw 82 pitches. The left-hander threw 72 pitches in his first start back and tossed 78 pitches the second time around. Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated his workload would grow from there, but ultimately he only threw four additional pitches in his third start. It will be a tricky balance for the Phillies to strike as they try to stretch out Suárez's arm while ensuring he remains healthy and is fresh when October arrives.
Bryson Stott put the Phillies ahead in the first inning with a two-out single that scored Trea Turner, the start of what became a massive series for the young second baseman. The score remained 1-0 in the sixth inning until Stott turned on an elevated fastball -- the pitch that has haunted him for much of his big-league career -- and smoked it into the upper deck.
STOTT TO GO!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/RDFbRKQ0MW
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 6, 2024
A big inning ensued, as the Phillies posted three more runs to secure a win. J.T. Realmuto and Brandon Marsh got on base, and the surging Kody Clemens drove them both in with a double before eventually coming around to score. The Phillies did not do anything spectacular in this one, but they scored more runs than their opponent. That will do.
It would be easier to talk about which Phillies hitters did not excel on Friday night, as the team's offense absolutely erupted. But all nine members of Thomson's order had at least one hit in this game, and only one of them did not have at least one run scored or run batted in.
Miami's pitching staff was already in total disarray before their scheduled starter for Friday's game, Edward Cabrera, was scratched. Meanwhile, Wheeler kept his name in the NL Cy Young race with yet another dominant performance: in six innings the Phillies' ace only allowed three base-runners. He could have continued pitching for at least another inning, but there was no need with the team out in front so significantly.
The primary stars of the Phillies' offensive outburst were Trea Turner, who finished a triple away from the cycle, and Johan Rojas, who slashed a career-high three doubles. Clemens and Bryce Harper each collected three hits as well.
MORE: Can Zack Wheeler still win the NL Cy Young Award?
Nola has been absolutely tremendous of late, but had his first rough start in a while on Saturday night. He left too many pitches over the plate against a weak Marlins lineup, could not put away hitters and paid the price, allowing nine hits without getting through five innings.
With the Phillies trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Thomson elected to use Taijuan Walker -- and things immediately took a turn for the worse. Walker, who was recently moved to the bullpen after a long string of terrible starts, allowed three runs (two earned) across a pair of innings, rendering a two-run eighth inning from his offense irrelevant.
If the Phillies would rather hide Walker on their expanded roster in September to avoid eating more than half of a four-year, $72 million contract, they must be able to ensure his standing on the roster does not contribute to losses in the meantime. Walker simply should never pitch in a game that still hangs in the balance, and a three-run deficit against the lowly Marlins with two innings remaining is not even close to insurmountable.
Johnson's major-league debut was an unmitigated disaster. He could not generate whiffs or induce weak contact. Johnson struggled to find the strike zone early, and once he did he was getting hammered over the middle of the plate. Sunday afternoon could not have gone worse for the rookie or his new team. Phillies hitters were also lifeless until the ninth inning of this one, as the team did not record its first hit against the returning Cabrera until the sixth inning.
The final line for Johnson in his first big-league start: 2.1 innings pitched, eight hits, nine earned runs, three walks and no strikeouts.
The Phillies' fifth starting rotation spot has been a weakness since Spencer Turnbull's injury, and in the last three games in which that spot has been needed, the team has watched a different temporary occupant of that slot get obliterated by opposing lineups.
The Phillies have had three starts from the No. 5 spot in their rotation since demoting Kolby Allard:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) September 8, 2024
• Taijuan Walker vs. HOU (8/28): 6.0 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 0 K
• Tyler Phillips @ TOR (9/3): 0.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 K
• Seth Johnson @ MIA (9/8): 2.1 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 0 K
Kolby Allard, meanwhile, consistently gave the Phillies chances to win during his brief cameos with the team. While Allard is not some sort of dominant force on the mound, it was abundantly clear before the team optioned him back to Triple-A on Aug. 26 that he was far more suitable to eat innings as a fifth starter in September than Walker, Johnson or Tyler Phillips. Allard will be eligible to get recalled to the majors next time this spot in the rotation takes its turn, and it seems like a safe bet that he will return -- possibly for the remainder of the regular season.
The Phillies' inability to find a viable fifth starter highlights the massive importance of keeping Wheeler, Nola, Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez healthy entering October.
Up next: The Phillies will return home for a six-game stretch at home, with a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Monday night.
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