Marlins find success vs. Suárez, but blow 4-run lead

PHILADELPHIA, PA—The Miami Marlins finally got to a left-handed starter. Not just any left-hander, but one of MLB's best. In Sunday's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, they tagged Ranger Suárez for six runs through 4 ⅔ innings pitched to take a 6-2 lead. Unfortunately, the bullpen that had been so effective on Saturday couldn't do it again with a crucial error making their task more difficult. The Marlins lost by a final score of 7-6, splitting the series against the Phillies.

"Everybody felt good," said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker about his relievers. "You always have conversations and make sure that guys are feeling good before they go into the game. Walks and extra outs cost you against a really good team. We gotta provide more length out of the rotation. There's no doubt."

Entering Sunday, the Marlins bullpen ranked seventh in baseball according to fWAR. The night prior, relievers Andrew Nardi, A.J. Puk, Calvin Faucher and Tanner Scott didn't allow a single hit and struck out six. On Sunday, Huascar Brazoban, Puk, Nardi and Anthony Bender allowed four runs (two earned) off of five hits and three walks.

The bottom of the sixth inning was a turning point in the game. The Marlins went with Brazoban, who allowed a walk to Rafael Marchán and a base hit to Bryson Stott, but then got Alec Bohm to hit an easy grounder to shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson could not secure the ball in his glove, missing the opportunity to start an inning-ending double play. It was his ninth error of 2024.

"He made an error," said Schumaker. "That's what everyone else saw. Unfortunately, it happened at the wrong time."

On a day that the Phillies defense committed five errors of their own, Anderson's would prove to be the most problematic.

Brazoban was taken out of the game and replaced by A.J. Puk, one of his best relievers in the past couple of weeks. He had posted a 2.77 ERA and 3.38 FIP in the month of June. After Puk struck out Brandon Marsh, he surrendered a two-out single to Nick Castellanos. The ball went past a diving Anderson to drive in two runs. That brought the Phillies within one of the lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins ran into some more trouble with Andrew Nardi on the mound. After he allowed back-to-back walks (Nardi had not allowed any walks in his previous 13 appearances), he was able to induce two flyouts, but with Trea Turner up, Schumaker made the change to go with right-hander Anthony Bender.

Bender left a 97 mph sinker over the middle of the plate that Turner grounded for a two-run single.

"I never truly know when my last batter is just for my sake," said Nardi. "I made the mess. I want to get out of my own mess. I do wish I stayed in for Trea Turner, but oh well."

All of this overshadowed a good performance by the Marlins lineup. In 2024, left-handed pitching has been their achilles heel. It was a much different story against Ranger Suárez, who has been in the NL Cy Young conversation.

In the top of the first inning, Josh Bell, who entering Sunday's game was 2-for-19 in his career against Suárez, knocked in an RBI double to give Miami an early 1-0 lead. He would get to the Phillies starter again in the fifth for a base hit.

The Marlin with the most successful history against Suárez was Bryan De La Cruz with an .810 OPS. In the top of the third, De La Cruz tied the game at two apiece with a solo home run. It was his 15th of the season.

Emmanuel Rivera previously saw Suárez in the regular season and the playoffs, but had never dominated him like this. Rivera collected a walk, RBI single and RBI double in his first three plate appearances.

Suárez had arguably the worst start of any lefty to face Miami this season, allowing six runs off of nine hits and two walks. He was unable to record a strikeout.

In his third start of the season, Marlins right-hander Yonny Chirinos allowed three runs off of nine hits, one walk and struck out four. It's the most amount of hits and runs he's allowed since being brought up from Triple-A. Chirinos posted a 58.3% first-pitch strike percentage, the highest of any Marlins starter this series. He generated 12 whiffs with five coming on his slider.

Similar to Roddery Muñoz on Saturday, a lot of the contact that Chirinos allowed led to flyouts and lineouts. Only one of them left the yard, an Alec Bohm two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The last run Chirinos allowed came in the bottom of the fifth on a Nick Castellanos RBI double.

With the loss, the Marlins are now 30-54 on the season. The Marlins will head back home for a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox. Valente Bellozo will start Tuesday against the Red Sox, the second outing of his major league career and his debut at loanDepot park. First pitch will be at 6:40 pm.