Marlins 2, Phillies 0; Early cushion is more than enough for Richards

After getting shut out on Friday, the Marlins gave the Phillies a taste of their own medicine, as the Fish won 2-0 on Saturday afternoon. The Marlins earned their 40th win of the season.

• Trevor Richards: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K (98 pitches)
• Aaron Nola: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (93 pitches)

The Fish did not have an active day at the plate, as they only mustered four hits, but they did enough to earn the victory.

All their damage came in the first inning. They gained the lead for good when Starlin Castro drove Derek Dietrich home on an RBI fielder’s choice. Martín Prado padded the lead with an RBI single, to give Miami the 2-0 lead.

The Marlins only had one hit after the first inning, but they didn’t need to do much because of a stellar pitching performance from Trevor Richards and the bullpen. Richards allowed no runs and four hits, along with four strikeouts in six innings. Following Richards, Brad Ziegler, Drew Steckenrider, and Kyle Barraclough all combined to allow only four hits to help preserve the victory. Richards earned the win, while Barraclough recorded his ninth save of the season.

The Phillies were listless for the entire game, as they went 0-5 with runners in scoring position. Along with collecting no runs, the Phils didn’t help themselves with a boneheaded error in the sixth inning. Third baseman Maikel Franco fielded Starlin Castro’s hit, but thinking that it was a foul ball, he promptly threw it into the stands, which allowed Castro to advance to second base.

The Marlins played in front of their biggest crowd since April 14.

These two teams will meet up again tomorrow for the rubber match of this series, the final one before the All-Star break. Enyel De Los Santos will pitch for Philadelphia, while José Ureña will pitch for Miami.

Courtesy of FanGraphs

Attendance: 14,793

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Matchup Summary:

The Marlins (39-57) will look to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat on Friday when they battle the Phillies on Saturday afternoon.

The Phillies will be looking to maintain their lead in the NL East, while the Marlins look to even the series. All-Star Aaron Nola will be on the mound today. He’s 12-2 with a 2.27 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He will be opposed by rookie Trevor Richards, who enters today’s game with a 5.24 ERA.

Thread Question:

Steal any Phillie and magically make him a Marlin.