The Philadelphia Phillies continued their surge Tuesday night, rallying from an early deficit to defeat the Miami Marlins 6-4 for their fifth consecutive victory. Philadelphia trailed 3-1 entering the sixth inning before sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs against Miami reliever Michael Petersen.
The rally completely shifted the momentum and helped the Phillies strengthen their position in the National League playoff race. Alec Bohm started the comeback with a run-scoring double, adding to his RBI single from the first inning. Bryson Stott then delivered the biggest blow, lining a two-run single that put Philadelphia ahead 4-3.
Stott’s clutch hit also extended his career-best on-base streak to 19 games. Justin Crawford followed with an RBI single to push the Phillies’ advantage to 5-3.
Philadelphia added another run later in the game to secure the victory and improve its standing in the NL wild-card race. The Phillies currently occupy the second NL wild-card spot after sweeping Minnesota and winning the first two games of their series against Miami.
Alex McFarlane earned his first career victory, improving to 1-1 after allowing an unearned run in the sixth inning. Brooks Raley, the fifth Phillies pitcher of the night, closed things out in the ninth, retiring the Marlins in order on just 12 pitches for his first save.
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler delivered five innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven and walking four.
Miami’s offense was led by Griffin Conine, who launched his 14th home run of the season in the second inning.
Philadelphia also made several notable defensive plays. In the seventh inning, Bohm turned an unassisted double play at first base when he caught a line drive and stepped on the bag to complete the play.
The seventh inning also featured controversy involving Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. Turner was hit on the left hand by a 1-2 pitch, but home-plate umpire Shane Livensparger ruled that Turner had swung, resulting in a strikeout. A replay review confirmed the call, prompting Phillies manager Don Mattingly to have a lengthy discussion with the umpiring crew.
Bryce Harper continued his strong stretch at the plate, extending his on-base streak to 22 games with a single in the first inning.
The Phillies will now look to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday while the Marlins try to prevent Philadelphia from extending its winning streak to six games.
Miami will send ace Sandy Alcantara to the mound. Alcantara enters with a 13-7 record and a 3.43 ERA. Philadelphia will counter with Aaron Nola, who is 4-9 with a 5.33 ERA.
With the postseason race heating up, Philadelphia’s ability to come from behind and continue stacking victories has the Phillies gaining momentum at an important point of the season.
