MIA 1, PHI 6; J.T. (Just Terrible)

Commonly accepted and understood is the notion that the Marlins' current-look offense is bad. Since losing All-Star second baseman Jazz Chisholm on June 28th, the team entered play Wednesday with a collective .597 OPS in the ensuing 69 games.

So when JJ Bleday singled home designated hitter Brian Anderson in the first inning, you’d be hard-pressed to find those who felt this was the start of a rare “on” night for the Marlins bats.

Alas, Kyle Gibson went to work, shutting down the Fish over 6 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 7, and making up for his most-recent start against Miami (4 runs over 5 innings on 09/08) en route to his 10th win in a 6-1 Phillies victory.

For the first 5.2 innings, though, Edward Cabrera had kept on keeping on, limiting the Fightin’ Phils to just 1 hit. Then came Bryce Harper, whom Cabrera had struck out and induced a double play on in his two previous plate appearances. Waiting on a 92-mph change up from Cabrera, Harper deposited said-offering over the left-center wall to tie the score at 1. The home run was Harper’s 100th as a member of the Phillies, and his second since returning from a broken thumb that cost him two months.

A tie game, though not the worst position to be in, is still one swing away from the momentum swinging to the other way.

Enter J.T. Realmuto.

On an 0-1 slider, Realmuto did as his reigning-MVP teammate in Harper did, this time sending Cabrera’s offering over the center field wall. Lead, Philadelphia.

The former Marlins’ backstop wasn’t done, though. Facing Huascar Brazoban the following inning, Realmuto would one again bite his former team with his second home run of the night, the one a three-run shot to make it the 6-1 Phillies lead that would stand. The home run made for Realmuto’s 7th career multi-homer game.

Beyond the all-too-familiar feeling of another relinquished lead, recently recalled Jordan Groshans collected his first three career hits in the loss, finishing the evening 3-for-3. Groshans, whom Miami acquired in the deal that sent relievers Anthony Bass, Zach Pop, and a PTBNL to Toronto at the trade deadline, was recalled from AAA Jacksonville Tuesday. Avisaíl García created the roster opening for him when being placed on the IL with a hamstring injury.

“I’m going to send the ball home to my parents,” said a smiling Groshans postgame. “I saw a lot of cutters and sliders, and just tried to put a swing on them.”

Looking Ahead

Miami will wrap up its season series against Philadelphia on Thursday. Pablo López (8-10, 4.04 ERA) will look to bounce back from his second blow-up outing (3.2 IP, 8 R on 09/10) against the Mets this season. The Phillies will counter with Noah Syndergaard (9-9, 4.09 ERA). First pitch is slated for 6:40 Eastern.

Of Note

• With the loss, the Marlins have dropped 10 of their last 12 against the Phillies dating back to June 15th.
• Despite the two home runs late, Edward Cabrera has gone at least 5 innings in five consecutive starts since August 22nd.
• With three walks in the loss, Cabrera has now walked at least two hitters in each of his first 11 starts this season, already 4th most in franchise history.

Baseball-Savant