Marlins stay hot behind Phillips’ shutout start, move closer in Wild Card race
After Thursday afternoon’s 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Miami Marlins (34-35) have won eight of their last nine games and are playing like one of the hottest teams in baseball.
But even a surge like this can only gain them so much ground in an National League East led by the Atlanta Braves, who own the best record in MLB.
With that obstacle in place, Miami’s clearest path to the postseason might come through the Wild Card race. Thursday’s win moved the Marlins two games behind the San Diego Padres (35-32), who currently hold the final National League Wild Card spot.
Now in the midst of their best stretch of the season, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough is making sure the momentum does not turn into complacency.
“It feels great to be playing well and stacking wins together. Winning series is important to put ourselves in a good position at the end of the year,” McCullough said. “We just need to keep in mind how quickly things can change. It doesn’t get any easier.
While Miami’s offense has produced all season, the club’s recent surge has also been fueled by a pitching staff that has collectively stepped up after injuries to several regular starters.
On Thursday, that responsibility fell to Tyler Phillips.
The 28-year-old right-hander, who typically works out of the bullpen, delivered five scoreless innings while striking out five and allowing just two hits and two walks.
Phillips credited the staff’s recent success to a more aggressive mindset on the mound, even as the days start to pile up.
“I don’t think people realize how bad a lot of us feel every day. But these guys come in and just ride the adrenaline,” Phillips said. “The pitching staff is coming in and attacking, and I don’t think we were really doing that earlier in the year. But we’re taking that to heart.”
During his most recent action in a 6-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Phillips gave up three runs and seven hits while pitching 4 ⅔ innings.
With a few days of rest, he explained that the extra time helped him regain command of a pitch he hadn’t leaned on in recent outings.
“I still have work to do, but overall I was just in the zone more than the past few games,” Phillips said. “I was able to use the four-seam a lot. It’s not something that was my strong suit, but this game I utilized it.”
Offensively, shortstop Otto Lopez continued to tear through opposing pitching, finishing 2 for 4 while maintaining his spot as the league’s top hitter with a .344 batting average.
Center fielder Jakob Marsee went 1 for 2 and second baseman Xavier Edwards went 1 for 3, with each driving in a run
What’s next
The Marlins open a three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday at 6:40 p.m. at PNC Park.
Miami is expected to start right-hander Sandy Alcantara (5-4, 4.33 ERA), while Pittsburgh is expected to start right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (5-3, 3.28 ERA)