Robertson Blows Save as Philadelphia Phillies Drop Series Finale to Marlins

The Philadelphia Phillies were unable to sweep the Marlins as David Robertson blew another save in the ninth inning.

Author:
Lauren Amour
Sep 9, 2022 10:40 AM EDT

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Blowing saves is something the Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen has been incredibly familiar with over the last two seasons.

This season, though, has been different. The bullpen has been much better in save situations. In 2021, the Phillies' bullpen blew 34 saves, compared to 14 in 2022. There's been a noticeable improvement.

One major reason for that has been the resurgence of Seranthony Domínguez, but with the right-hander on the injured list, it's put more pressure on the rest of the bullpen. In his absence, 37-year-old David Robertson, acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, has been a workhorse. His velocity has dropped, and his fatigue shown through on Thursday night.

Robertson entered in the ninth inning of a 5-4 game. He allowed a double to Garrett Cooper to start the inning, followed by a costly error by Rhys Hoskins at first base that put Joey Wendle on second base. At that point, the game was tied. He then walked Avisail Garcia and Brian Anderson singled to score Wendle, giving the Marlins a 6-5 lead. There wasn't a single out recorded.

After a mound visit, Robertson calmed down and was able to end the inning with three straight strikeouts, but the damage was already done. The Phillies went down quietly in the bottom of the inning. It was Robertson's seventh blown save of the season.

The scoring began when Miami took a 3-0 lead in the third when Phils' starter Kyle Gibson surrendered a solo home run to Lewin Diaz, a Cooper RBI double, and Garcia RBI single.

Philadelphia had their work cut out for them against NL Cy Young candidate Sandy Alcantara, but Nick Maton was up for the challenge. He launchd a moonshot to right field in the bottom half of the third to cut the deficit to two.

In the fourth, Hoskins singled and Bohm doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. J.T. Realmuto's groundout scored Hoskins, and a Bryson Stott double scored Bohm to tie the game.

Unfortunately, the Fish grabbed the lead right back in the fifth, with Wendle hitting a solo shot to right field. But, the Phillies fought back in their half of the inning. Kyle Schwarber reached on a fielding error by JJ Bleday, and Hoskins on a single. Bohm then tripled to score both runners and give Philadelphia a 5-4 lead. It was his third triple of the year.

It would remain a one-run game until the ninth inning. Vinny Nittoli, Sam Coonrod, and Brad Hand each pitched a scoreless frame in relief. Alcantara tossed six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits while fanning seven batters.

For Miami, Richard Bleier and Dylan Floro were able to keep the Phillies at bay. Bleier nearly injured Brandon Marsh in a collision at first base in the seventh. Luckily, everyone was okay.

It was a heartbreaker, as the game was in the Phillies' grasp up until the ninth against the Marlins' ace. They were able to win the series, but Philadelphia has been barely scraping out wins, which isn't the most encouraging sign with 25 games left to play.

They'll face the Washington Nationals for a three-game set beginning on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Noah Syndergaard will be on the hill for the Phillies, and he'll face off against Patrick Corbin at 7:05 p.m EST. Corbin has an ERA of 18.00 against the Philadelphia this season, so hopefully, the offense is able to wake up facing the left-hander.