Griffin Conine and the Miami Marlins will look to build off a rare victory when they continue their home series with the scuffling Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Miami had lost 12 straight games — a franchise record — before rallying to stun Philadelphia on Monday in the series opener. The Marlins trailed 7-5 entering the ninth inning before plating three runs against Phillies All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, capped by Conine’s walk-off hit.
“I think it was just believing the whole time that we could win this game,” Conine said after his first career game-ending hit.
Conine supplied a homer earlier in the game, while Heriberto Hernandez homered in addition to delivering the game-tying two-run single in the ninth inning.
“Everybody feels good,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said. “It’s no lie. Everybody in the building has been grinding hard for a couple of weeks. … Certainly it feels great to get a win.”
Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer for Philadelphia, while J.T. Realmuto also drove in two runs. Zack Wheeler lasted just three innings — his shortest start of the season — and allowed a season-worst five runs.
“That was a weird game in that they got to two of our very best pitchers,” said Realmuto, whose team is just 3-7 since the All-Star break.
Miami will look to continue the momentum behind right-hander Sandy Alcantara (10-6, 4.01 ERA), who absorbed a loss Wednesday against the Houston Astros. The former National League Cy Young Award winner gave up five runs and nine hits in seven-plus innings in that game, although he didn’t get much run support in the 5-2 defeat.
“He was fantastic,” McCullough said. “I thought he was in control most of the night. He had a very efficient pitch count. He really moved things along well after the first couple of innings. I hate how things went down there (when Alcantara allowed three runs in the eighth), but I thought he threw the ball fantastic.”
The Marlins have scored a total of five runs in Alcantara’s past three outings.
Alcantara is 7-11 with a 3.84 ERA in 23 career starts against the Phillies. He faced Philadelphia once this season and allowed four runs (two earned) in six innings in a 12-4 win on June 17.
The Phillies will turn to right-hander Aaron Nola (3-8, 5.82), who has not won a game since May 26, going 0-4 with a 5.92 ERA in 10 starts. He is 0-3 with a 5.01 ERA in four starts this month, although he has generally been solid in July aside from giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Nola gave up two home runs vs. Los Angeles and has surrendered six homers over his last three starts and 14 in his past eight outings.
“When I have gone out the sixth and seventh, I’ve been hurt by the long ball,” Nola said. “I’ve struggled with the long ball this year, which I’ve got to be better at.”
Nola is 6-12 with a 3.59 ERA in 26 lifetime starts against Miami. He faced the Marlins on May 4 and worked six scoreless innings in a 1-0 triumph.
Philadelphia holds a 5-3 lead in the season series with Miami.
–Field Level Media
