Marlins blow late lead in series-opening loss to Phillies. Takeaways from the loss
The Miami Marlins were an out away from winning a pivotal series-opener against the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the All-Star Break.
Instead, Philadelphia mounted a late comeback.
The Phillies scored three runs in the ninth inning, capped with a go-ahead two-run home run from Christian Pache against Miami closer A.J. Puk, to beat the Marlins 4-3 on Friday at loanDepot Park.
The Phillies (48-39) have now won 13 consecutive games on the road.
Friday marked just the second time this season the Marlins (51-39) lost when leading after eight innings. Miami led 3-1 after eight innings after a two-run second inning and a Garrett Cooper home run in the fourth.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
How the ninth inning unfolded
The Marlins entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and closer A.J. Puk heading to the mound.
They needed just three outs to secure the series opener.
Instead, the Phillies handed Puk his second consecutive rough outing.
J.T. Realmuto, who had scored the Phillies’ lone run to that point with a solo home run in the sixth, led off with a single, reached second on a wild pitch and then scored on an Alec Bohm one-out RBI double to left field.
Puk then struck out pinch-hitter Josh Harrison to get Miami within one out of the win before Pache hit his go-ahead two-run home run.
“I dont think I [threw] the ball particularly bad,” Puk said. “I just hung a slider there and it was enough for it to get over the wall.”
Sandy Alcantara closes first half on a high note
Before the ninth-inning collapse, Sandy Alcantara put the Marlins in position to win with one of his better starts of the season.
He entered the game with a 4.93 ERA (tied for the seventh-worst among 65 qualified pitchers) and a 7.63 ERA against division opponents (the highest among qualified pitchers).
In game one of the series against the Phillies back in April, he allowed nine earned runs over four innings—a game in which the Marlins lost 15-3.
On Friday, he more than made up for it by limiting Philadelphia to one run despite scattering eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
In his final three starts before the All-Star Break, Alcantara posted a 2.89 ERA, holding opponents to six runs over 18 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts against just four walks.
“Sandy, he’s had a couple bumps, but based on what we saw last year, for him to double up and come back and have exactly that same kind of year I think is probably not something you would necessarily write down in stone,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said before the game. “There’s a couple things he’s been working on with [pitching coach] Mel [Stottlemyre Jr.]... It’s not for a lack of commitment or work. This guy’s at it every single day.”
Tanner Scott relieved Alcantara after a two-out single to Brandon Marsh and struck out Kyle Schwarber to strand the runner. Scott then pitched a perfect eighth inning before Puk gave up the three runs in the ninth.
“Sandy was great,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I thought there were some hard hit balls and we had some good defense behind him. No three ball counts. He attacked… I guess it was a tough lineup. There’s some thump in that lineup. We kind of lined up there for Puk and we just didn’t finish the job.”
Garrett Cooper heating up
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cooper knocked in a home run to right field to give Miami a 3-0 advantage over its rival.
It was his 12th home run of the season. He is ranked second behind Jorge Soler’s 22.
Cooper has been playing very well his last 15 games, with at least one hit in 13 of those 15 games. He is hitting .368 (21 for 57) with four home runs, four doubles, 15 RBI, and eight runs scored. Prior to that, he was hitting .277 this season.
In addition to Cooper’s home run, the Marlins scored two runs in the second inning on a Jacob Stallings RBI infield single and a Dane Myers RBI fielder’s choice.
But the Phillies’ ninth-inning rally erased the Marlins’ lead.