Marlins spoil Luzardo’s homecoming with comeback win over Phillies
Tuesday figured to be Jesús Luzardo’s night.
Plow through the Marlins’ lineup, pitch a gem, and then bolt to watch his beloved Florida Panthers capture the Stanley Cup. That was the plan for the Phillies’ starting pitcher against his former team.
But early on, it was Eric Wagaman who stole the spotlight.
And the defining moment of the Marlins’ 8-3 comeback win at loanDepot park ultimately belonged to a 5-foot-7, 150-pound utility man who stepped in the batter’s box after Luzardo exited in the sixth.
Javier Sanoja delivered the biggest hit of the night, drilling a triple into a gap in left center field off reliever Tanner Banks to push the Marlins ahead.
Sanoja slid hard into third, sprang to his feet, and pounded his chest triumphantly with his open right hand multiple times.
“I was trying my best to transmit that emotion and chemistry I was feeling at that moment with my teammates,” Sanoja said via team interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “And I feel I was able to do that. I think if we feel that emotion, good things are going to happen.”
The Marlins scored three runs in the frame, another in the seventh on Jesús Sánchez’s pinch-hit 415-foot homer, and two more runs in the eighth to punctuate their fifth win in seven games.
“It just continues to show whoever we’re playing, our guys are going to put up a fight,” said Marlins’ manager Clayton McCullough. “They believe they can beat anyone. And we’ve been playing really good baseball now for two, three weeks. Outside of the one in Pittsburgh the first day, we’ve been in a lot of close games, which I hope continues to bode well for us.”
After Luzardo struck out two in the first inning, Heriberto Hernández walked to lead off the second and Wagaman gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead with a 406-foot blast over the center field wall — his fifth homer of the season and the team’s first homer at loanDepot park since May 20. Wagaman also scored two runs Tuesday.
Six players scored for the Marlins, seven had RBI, and nine had at least one hit.
“We’ve got to continue to do this and more,” Sánchez said via Dorante Jr. “We’re a team that puts the ball in play a lot, and to be honest, I was not surprised with what we had today. And I believe we can do more.”
For the Phillies, Luzardo, who allowed four runs on six hits over five innings, saw his night end after allowing back-to-back walks to start the sixth.
“[The Marlins] know me well, and I know them well,” Luzardo said. “I thought they really grinded out a lot of at-bats and made me work hard. I just have to find ways to get back in the zone and make better pitches.”
Kyle Stowers knotted the score with an RBI groundout, setting the stage for Sanoja.
“That was a really big hit there during that inning, and then the single he had [in the eighth] as well to start that rally to tack on those runs,” McCullough said. “Javi always seems to find a way whenever he’s out there to impact us in a positive way.”
Marlins’ starter Cal Quantrill pitched four innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He gave up a 413-foot home run to Trea Turner to lead off the fourth. Quantrill, who dealt with cramping late in his outing, hit Otto Kemp to lead off the fifth and then gave up a double to Brandon Marsh. Ronny Henriquez relieved him at that point.
THIS AND THAT
▪ McCullough was named to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ National League coaching staff for the All-Star Game.
“Excited about that. It’s a cool thing,” McCullough said. “I appreciate Dave Roberts for extending that invitation. He spoke to me early in the season, it might have been right around Opening Day. …It’s a fun thing to be around the best players in baseball for a few days in a very relaxed environment.”
McCullough, who was the Dodgers’ first base coach last season, quipped his All-Star Game responsibility will be “sitting there next to Dave eating sunflower seeds and watching the game.”
McCullough pitched in the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle, but said he didn’t attend the game, instead sightseeing with his family.
▪ Which player should be the Marlins’ All-Star? McCullough named Kyle Stowers, but also said outfielder Dane Myers “could make a case” and cited rookie catcher Liam Hicks as well. He also mentioned relievers Anthony Bender, Ronny Henriquez and Janson Junk as All-Star caliber.
▪ Myers (left elbow) is day-to-day after X-rays were negative. He’s day-to-day. Myers was hit by a pitch Monday. “There’s still some swelling there and some soreness,” McCullough said.
▪ Right-hander Adam Mazur will make his Marlins’ debut Wednesday after being promoted from Triple-A Jacksonville, McCullough said.
“This is the dream, so I’m looking forward to being up here again and hopefully staying up here for a little bit,” said Mazur, who has eight career major-league starts, all with the Padres last season.
Mazur and Marlins’ starter Max Meyer were former teammates at Woodbury High School in Woodbury, Minn.
“It’s really cool,” Mazur said. “I don’t know how many guys can say they both went to the same high school and now both are on the same major-league team. Great guy, so I’m excited to get to know him more.”
▪ Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, who played high school ball at American Heritage and Archbishop McCarthy, was benched Tuesday for making an “inappropriate comment” after being removed in the eighth inning Monday for defensive purposes, manager Rob Thomson said.
Castellanos had started 236 consecutive games.
“One of the many things about Nick that I love is that he’s very emotional,” Thomson said. “He loves to play, and he loves to play every inning of every game. I just thought last night he made an inappropriate comment after he came out, and so today, he’s not going to play. And I’m going to leave it at that.”
▪ One day after playing catch for the first time post-Tommy John surgery, left-hander Braxton Garrett was “happy with how my arm feels.”
He added, “I’ve been joking I’ve felt like I’ve been a professional weightlifter because all I get to do is work out. It’s nice to go out there and throw the ball, hit ‘em in the chest a couple of times. It took a few throws, but it felt good to feel like a baseball player.”
Garrett said he’ll play catch from 60 feet at least three times a week for the next month.
▪ Xavier Edwards’ stolen base in the third inning was his first steal since May 11. He returned from a back injury at the end of last month.