Inside The Phillies

Phillies Drop Nightmare Series to Marlins

The Philadelphia Phillies end to a four game series in Miami was a disastrous 11-3 defeat.

Ben Silver

© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

It was ugly from the get-go for the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

It was apparent early that Phillies' ace Zack Wheeler didn't have his best stuff. After a quiet first inning from both clubs, Wheeler's fastball velocity had dropped as low as 91.1 mph in a disaster bottom of the second.

The Miami Marlins began the second with a walk from Brain Anderson followed by a Jazz Chisholm triple down the right field line that got past Rhys Hoskins. The Marlins took a one-run lead that they did never relinquished.

Bryan De La Cruz followed Chisholm with an RBI single past a drawn-in infield. 

Perhaps manager Joe Girardi was afraid of the Phillies ability to hit Marlins starter Elieser Hernandez, but that single extended the inning and did not inspire confidence in the Phillies capabilities.

Soon the Marlins were up 4-0, Wheeler was failing to execute his pitches, and his command continued to leave him. 

Phillie-killer Miguel Rojas came to the plate next and hit a second Marlins triple down the right field line, driving in De La Cruz. Another run crossed the plate before the Phillies escaped the inning, but by that point, the lead seemed insurmountable.

With the Phillies offense lifeless, the Marlins had free reign again in the third, this time knocking in a run on another Rojas RBI, 5-0 was the score now.

In the fourth Wheeler was finally removed from the game after loading the bases with none out and was replaced by Christopher Sanchez. His first batter, Joey Wendle, lined a single back through the middle making it 7-0 Miami.

It was a contest for the Phillies no longer, their goal was now to remain unembarrassed until the game could be ended.

Though Harper got the Phillies on the board with a moonshot in the fifth, the Marlins lead was never in doubt.

Christopher Sanchez continued to take the mound in the middle innings, allowed three runs over 3.1 innings pitched. By the time he was lifted in the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies had put another run on the board with a Harper double, making the score 9-2.

Sanchez's replacement, Brad Hand, allowed an inherited run to score, and José Alvarado, the Phillies' next man out of the bullpen, allowed yet one more run in the bottom of the eighth.

Though Kyle Schwarber finally showed signs of life, knocking a single and a monstrous home run in the eighth, the Phillies went down quietly in the ninth for an 11-3 final.

Aaron Nola will take the mound at 8:40 tomorrow in Colorado facing Chad Kuhl on NBCSP+.

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Ben Silver
BEN SILVER

Ben Silver is deputy editor for Inside the Phillies. A graduate of Boston University, Ben formerly covered the Phillies for PhilliesNation.com. Follow him on Twittter @BenHSilver.

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