final score: Marlins 7, Phillies 4
Jack Wheeler is as cool as they come, but he had good reason to lose his temper.
Although he did not have his best performance, Wheeler was one step away from completing seven innings for the ninth time this season. With a 1-2 count, two outs and his pitch count at 109 and Ali Sanchez coming up to bat, home plate umpire Emil Jimenez missed strike three on the outside corner. The call extended the at-bat to five more pitches and ended in a single. As Wheeler walked off the mound, he glared at the home plate umpire.
Wheeler stuck around the tunnel and watched as Matt Stram had his worst performance of the season with two runners still on base. The Phillies lefty struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. to load the bases, then allowed a bases-clearing double to Brian De La Cruz and another double to Josh Bell, all in the span of six pitches to make it a 4–3 game. It was a rare hiccup on Stram’s part, allowing his first inherited runner to score since May 8.
The Phillies followed with Jeff Hoffman tying the game in the bottom of the seventh, but Miami’s Jake Berger ambushed a hanging slider and deposited it into the left field seats to retake the lead. Nick Gordon then hit a double to right field on two pitches and advanced to third on a late wild pitch. With the infield over, the Phillies grounded out to López at shortstop, but the ball went just past Edmundo Sosa at shortstop, scoring the sixth Miami run.
The Phillies entered the game leading 44–2 after six innings. His chances of victory reached 94% after Wheeler entered second out of seventh. The loss is sad, but nothing hurts more than the two injuries suffered at the end of the game. Kyle Schwarber was lifted in the ninth because of left groin tightness – and was not on deck in the eighth – and Bryce Harper limped in after fielding a ground ball in the bottom of the ninth.
Scary stuff.
highlight
- Harper extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI double to straight center in the first inning, scoring Trey Turner from first.
- Rafael Marchán continues to influence baseball. He hit his second home run of the season, this time through the right side, increasing the Phillies’ lead to 2–0.
- Sosa made it 3-0 on an RBI single to left field. He now has 20 RBI this season.
- After three runs came in on a De La Cruz double, Wheeler told the home plate umpire, “It’s on you.” Both sides were frustrated by Jiménez’s inconsistent fielding and hesitations on some ball and strike calls.
notes
- MLB announced during the game that Harper would start at first base for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game after receiving the most votes among all position players in the first round of voting. Let’s hope he can play the game.
- Spencer Turnbull was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Our own Tim Kelly has more on the news.
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