MIA 2, PHI 4: Lorenzen shines in Phillies debut to take the series

The Marlins came into the finale of this four-game set vs. the Phillies with the Phillies ahead of them by half a game in the standings, making this a crucial game for both teams. The pitchers showed out on Thursday with Johnny Cueto on the mound for the Marlins and newly acquired Michael Lorenzen pitching for the Phillies for the first time.  

Nick Castellanos would get the Phillies offense started with a walk to leadoff the second. Just one batter later, J.T. Realmuto would barrel up a hanging slider from Cueto and send it over the fence in right field to put the Phillies up 2-0.  This was Realmuto’s 13^th home run of the year and his second this year versus the Marlins.  

The Marlins would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth that started with an eight-pitch walk from Josh Bell. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed right behind him and drilled a double into the left-center field gap that sent Bell into high gear to score all the way from first. This hit extended Chisholm's hitting streak to 11 games, which ties his career high.

Cueto had another very strong outing today that saw him go 6 strong innings while throwing 100 pitches. In Thursday's game, he largely benefited from two well-turned double plays by newly acquired players Josh Bell and Jake Burger. These double plays helped Cueto keep him efficient—he was at 52 pitches through three, but at the end of six, he was at 83.  

"A lot of guys down after a long game yesterday and just the bullpen usage of late, so with a 13-game stretch [without any off days], we needed innings and he did great," manager Skip Schumaker said postgame.

Cueto came out for the seventh, but was unable to get an out. The trouble started with a leadoff single from Bryce Harper followed by a bloop single from Castellanos. With two runners on, Bryson Scott battled against Cueto and ended up with a nine-pitch walk to load the bases. Schumaker called on A.J. Puk to face J.T. Realmuto and limit the damage. 

Puk got Realmuto to ground out, but Brandon Marsh was the next batter, and he poked a ground ball through the right side of the infield to score two and put the Phillies up 4-1. 

Bryan De La Cruz brought one of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh with his 15^th homer of the year. But for the most part, Michael Lorenzen shined in his Phillies debut. He pitched eight innings—the second-longest start of his career—allowing just two runs on six hits. The Phillies couldn't have asked for much more.  

Devin Smeltzer was called back up from the minors prior to Thursday's game and the veteran lefty made his first major league appearance since May 3. He made an impact by striking out five Phillies over two scoreless innings to keep the game within reach.  

Seranthony Dominguez came in for the ninth to close the game out. After allowing a leadoff single to Chisholm, he did just that.

Cueto was asked about what can be taken way from this series: "We understand the importance of the series. They won the series, but there's plenty of games coming ahead and we gotta continue winning and just keep battling."

Other notes

• Cueto has completed six innings in all three of his starts since rejoining the Marlins rotation.
• Joey Wendle is on an 0-for-28 stretch.

Looking Ahead

The Marlins travel to Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers starting Friday night. Jesús Luzardo will get the ball in game one for the Marlins, and for the Rangers, it will be Jordan Montgomery's debut for the team. First pitch is set for 8:05 EST.