Otto López powered the Miami Marlins out of their slump Sunday, hitting two home runs in a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies that snapped a five-game skid and denied the NL East leaders a sweep.
López homered in the first and seventh innings, finishing with four RBIs. His three-run blast capped a four-run opening frame as Miami sent 10 batters to the plate against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker (4-8). Máximo Acosta chipped in an RBI single during the rally.
Walker settled in after the rocky first, working six innings while keeping the Marlins off the board the rest of the way. But López struck again in the seventh, taking reliever José Alvarado deep for his second homer of the day and his sixth of the season, giving Miami a 5-3 cushion.
Philadelphia’s offense threatened late. Trea Turner led off the sixth with a homer off reliever Calvin Faucher and added a hit earlier in the game, but exited in the seventh with a right hamstring strain after hustling down the line. Brandon Marsh went 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth, and Kyle Schwarber singled in a run in the ninth to pull the Phillies within one.
With the tying run on second in the ninth, Miami closer Lake Bachar worked through a tense jam. He walked Max Kepler and J.T. Realmuto to open the inning, then got Bryson Stott to pop out and Harrison Bader to line out. After Schwarber’s RBI single made it 5-4, Bachar retired Bryce Harper on a groundout to secure his third save.
Ronny Henriquez (7-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, helping stabilize the bullpen after Walker’s early struggles.
The loss overshadowed a milestone chase for Schwarber, who leads the NL with 49 homers but has not gone deep since Aug. 28, when he hit four in a series against Atlanta. López became the sixth Marlins player this season with a multi-homer game.
The Phillies return home for a four-game series against the New York Mets starting Monday. Aaron Nola (3-8, 6.78 ERA) is scheduled for the opener.
The Marlins continue their road trip with a four-game set against the Washington Nationals. Miami has not announced a starter for Monday’s opener.
