The Phillies’ bats put on quite the show during an 80-degree afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, thoroughly enjoying their time in the sun. With 18 hits, a season-high, they just managed to hang tight for an 11-10 victory over the Marlins. The ball was finding the barrel, even when it resulted in outs.
Taijuan Walker took the mound for the Phillies, and while his start was a bit shaky, especially with command early on, he found ways to escape tight spots, like a first-and-third, no-out situation in the third inning. His splitter was the star of the show, helping him navigate through the innings effectively.
The Phillies were hungry for runs against Miami's Cal Quantrill, forcing some hard-hit outs early on. J.T.
Realmuto got things rolling with a knock off the left field wall in the second inning, but it wasn’t until the third that the Phillies hit pay dirt. Johan Rojas led the charge with a double, moving to third on Bryson Stott’s grounder, before Trea Turner brought him home with a line-drive hit to left.
With Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber drawing walks, the bases were juiced for Nick Castellanos. Harper has clearly been seeing the ball well, tallying seven walks in five games. Castellanos added to the scoreboard with a sac fly, and Max Kepler's timely two-RBI double widened the lead to 4-0.
Miami clawed one back in the fourth, but the Phillies' offense was relentless, and Quantrill couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning. A single from Bohm, a smart bunt from Rojas, and subsequent hits from Stott and Turner boosted the lead to 7-1.
The Phillies showcased depth, with both ends of the batting order stepping up. Standouts included Rojas and Stott with RBI hits in the fifth.
Bohm and Rojas each had notable performances, and Turner was exceptional with four hits and two RBIs.
Manager Rob Thomson pulled Walker after just 56 pitches, giving the ball to Matt Strahm for the fifth. Walker’s day ended with one run allowed over four innings on one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts. He battled shoulder stiffness, which limited his pitches.
“It’s frustrating because I felt like I was in a groove, generating a lot of ground balls. My splitter was working well today,” Walker commented. Despite the woes, he’s slated to pitch against the Cubs next Friday and expects to be ready.
The game got a bit tense when Carlos Hernandez had a rough sixth inning, and then Jordan Romano hit a snag in the ninth, giving up six runs. This set the stage for Jose Alvarado, who was needed to record the final out in a dangerously close game.
Romano reflected, “Honestly, my arm felt great out there. It’s been a while since I felt this good.
But they were reading my pitches well today and really tagging them.” He plans to check if he was tipping pitches: “You’ve got to look back at the video, clearly some pitches need refining.”
Thomson reassured, “I trust him. His track record speaks for itself, and with good stuff, you continue to believe in him.”
Jose Alvarado came through when it mattered, getting Xavier Edwards to line out for the final out and securing the Phillies’ third consecutive win. They've now improved to 13-8 on the season. The series wraps up on Sunday with a 1:35 p.m. start, featuring a pitching matchup of Jesus Luzardo for Miami and Connor Gillispie for the Phillies.
As for Castellanos, he took on the role of designated hitter, allowing Schwarber to return to left field while Kepler took over at right. Thomson has been keeping an eye on Castellanos' condition, following his exit from a previous game due to a left hip flexor issue.
In other updates, Brandon Marsh remained sidelined with a knee injury, showing slight improvements but expected to only play in a pinch.
Finally, Andrew Painter made a successful rehab start for Single-A Clearwater, tossing three scoreless innings with solid velocity and command. Painter is scheduled to hit the mound again next Thursday, with innings expectations set loosely for the season.
