Sixth-inning implosion clinches season series for Phillies

[Kevin Barral]

The Miami Marlins decided to roll with a bullpen game on Tuesday night in hopes of evening up the series against their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. Everything was going according to plan as Miami led 3-1, but in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Phillies scored four runs to take a lead that they never looked back on. The Phillies defeated the Marlins by a final score of 6-4, clinching the season-series against the Marlins.

Between Cade Gibson, Tyler Zuber and Josh Ekness, they limited the Phillies to one run on three hits. On top of that, Griffin Conine hit his 14th home run of the season, tying the game at 1-1. Xavier Edwards gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead with an RBI single and Heriberto Hernandez grounded into a force out that scored Otto Lopez, extending the Marlins lead, 3-1.

Conine went into the game sporting a .955 OPS since the All-Star break. In the month of August, he has a 1.027 OPS. The only other player in baseball with an OPS over 1.000 in August is Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez. Overall, Conine is slashing .278/.371/.562/.933 with 14 home runs, 31 RBI and a 154 wRC+.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough went with Michael Petersen to get the final two outs in the bottom of the fifth and let him begin the sixth. Petersen started that inning by hitting Trea Turner. After Bryce Harper flew out for the first out of the inning, the Phillies went on to knock four-straight hits. Luis Arraez single, Alec Bohm RBI double, Bryson Stott RBI single and a Brandon Marsh single. Petersen was taken out of the game after that, with Philadelphia now leading, 4-3. 

Tyler Phillips entered the game with inherited runners and after striking out J.T. Realmuto, he allowed an RBI single to Justin Crawford to make it 5-3, Philadelphia. When the dust settled, it was a four-run bottom of the sixth.

For Petersen, this marks his worst outing of the season, allowing four runs on four hits. He takes the loss and blown save in this ballgame.

The Marlins tried to mount a comeback in the top of the eighth as Heriberto Hernandez knocked in an RBI single, making it 5-4, but Calvin Faucher surrendered an RBI single to Kyle Schwarber, icing the game, 6-4. With the loss, the Marlins are now 64-63 on the season, 3.5 games out of the third National League Wild Card spot.

 

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