Not the way the Phillies wanted to end their first home stand of the season. They blow a 2-1 lead, after a great Zack Wheeler start, and lose 3-2 in ten innings to the Marlins.
The Phillies finally had a starter take them deep into a game they led, setting up the bullpen formula they wanted.
It didn't matter as they lost to the Marlins, 3-2 in extra innings, to drop a series and fall to 4-8 on the season.
Leading by a run through seven, manager Rob Thomson sent ace reliever Jose Alvarado out for a second inning of work. Alvarado seldom pitches more than an inning but Thomson wanted his top bullpen arm to face left-handed-hitting Luis Arraez, who hit for the cycle Tuesday night, doubled Wednesday and was due up second in the eighth.
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Unfortunately for Thomson and Alvarado, the game was tied by the time Arraez came to the plate. Right-handed slugger Jorge Soler hit a missile to left-center for a game-tying home run to lead off the eighth.
With a runner stationed on second base to begin the top of the 10th, the Marlins took the lead on Bryan De La Cruz' one-out RBI single down the first-base line against Craig Kimbrel. Nick Castellanos threw De La Cruz out at second but the damage was done.
The Phillies couldn't push the tying run across in their half of the 10th. Cristian Pache popped out, Bryson Stott struck out looking and Trea Turner flied out to shallow left to end the game.
Alvarado had been lights-out this season. He struck out 11 batters in a row before Jacob Stallings doubled in the seventh, the most consecutive strikeouts within a single season for any reliever since at least 1961. But this was the sixth time in his 11 appearances of more than one inning as a Phillie that he's allowed a run.
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"He showed us as last year went on that he could do that, he handled (more than one inning)," Thomson said. "I had a lot of confidence, I was kind of shocked Soler hit that ball out as well as he's been pitching."
Earlier in the afternoon, Zack Wheeler delivered the Phils' best start of the season, holding the Marlins to one run on three hits over six innings with six strikeouts. It was only the second time this season a Phillies starter has completed six innings. They entered the day ranked dead-last in the National League, averaging 4.85 innings per start.
"Wheeler was outstanding today," Thomson said. "Velocity was up and he held it for most of the game. His slider or sweeper, whatever they call it, was really good. Got a lot of soft contact, did a great job. ... It looks like our starting pitching is starting to come."
The only damage Wheeler allowed came in the fourth inning when the hottest hitter in the universe, Arraez, doubled with one out and came around to score on a De La Cruz single. Wheeler walked the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth inning but got Arraez to line out sharply to center in a pivotal moment in the game.
While he escaped the fifth unscathed, the extra pitches may have cost him an entire inning, which again had a ripple effect on the bullpen. The Phillies used Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto and Kimbrel. Soto and Kimbrel will likely be unavailable Thursday in Cincinnati.
This was Wheeler's second straight start walking at least three batters, the first time he's done that in the span of 62 starts.
"Felt good besides the fifth, it kind of just got away from me," Wheeler said. "Us as pitchers, we need to stop walking guys, me included."
The Phillies took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Stott doubled in Kody Clemens. Stott led off Wednesday for the second time in three games. He hit eighth Tuesday against lefty Jesus Luzardo. It will be interesting to see whether he remains low in the lineup or is back up top Thursday when the Phillies face lefty Nick Lodolo for the second time in a week. Thomson has made it sound this week like Stott will lead off against righties until he gives the Phillies a reason to make a change.
Stott led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second base. He and Turner both reached scoring position but were stranded when Kyle Schwarber, Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto followed their singles with a popout and two strikeouts. Hits haven't eluded the Phillies through 12 games but runs have. The Phils entered Wednesday ranked second in the majors with a .288 batting average and third with a .310 batting average with men on base yet just 22nd in runs per game at 4.45.
Realmuto, in particular, has struggled at the plate. He is 1 for 17 with no walks and nine strikeouts in his last four games, and the one hit was a ninth-inning double Tuesday with the Phillies down five runs. Realmuto struck out three times Wednesday, stranding two runners in scoring position the first time and one the second time. His hat trick came to start the bottom of the ninth.
"He's just getting out of the zone a little bit, a lot of swings and misses, but he's a good hitter," Thomson said. "His timing might be a little off right now but he's a really good hitter and he'll get it going."
The Phillies went 3-3 on their first homestand of 2023, a disappointing result given they led late in five of the six games. They now hit the road for four in Cincinnati and three in Chicago against the White Sox.