Papa Turner is Back—Series Preview: Marlins at Phillies, September 8 – 10

Trea Turner, who welcomed his second child—Tatum Trea—into the world yesterday, is back for what should end up being a season-defining series for the Phillies, who are hosting the playoff-hungry Miami Marlins this weekend.

With 22 games to go, the Marlins are one game out of the final wild-card spot and look to reach the postseason for the first time since 2020. The Phillies, on the other hand, have a 2.5-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the first wild card spot, who were shut out by the Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon.

The 73-69 Reds along with the 70-70 Giants are also in contention for the final playoff spot in the National League, which is currently held by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Last Time They Met

All season long, the Phillies have had ups and downs against the Marlins, but their most recent matchup had some very exciting headlines, both offensively and defensively.

August 1, when the Phillies played the first of three in Miami, featured a strong, one-run outing by Ranger Suarez and a Nick Castellanos go-ahead home run with one out in the ninth inning. Castellanos’ timely blast came on his son’s birthday, and it also broke him out of a bad slump that plagued him throughout July.

Game two was definitely one of the more frustrating losses all season, but it was an important day for the Phillies, and in particular, Trea Turner. Thanks to RBI from Nick Castellanos, Bryson Stott, Garrett Stubbs, and Alec Bohm, the Phillies had a five-run lead early on, and Zack Wheeler spun six innings of two-run ball. From there, however, everything went downhill. The Marlins smacked around Craig Kimbrel after finding out that he was tipping his pitches, and Trea Turner botched a groundball that, if he fielded cleanly, would have ended the game. Despite the Phillies’ offense coming back in the tenth and the eleventh, they were unable to produce in the twelfth, and they suffered the loss.

Many will remember this game as the one where Turner took sole responsibility for the loss, ultimately prompting Phillies fans to give him the famous ovation that turned his season around.

Luckily, the Phillies bounced back the following day in Michael Lorenzen’s Phillies debut, when he threw eight innings of two-run ball to help secure a series win.

Sanchez, Nola Look to Bounce Back

The Phillies’ pitching staff has been unorthodox all year long.

After Spring Training, Andrew Painter’s injuries led to some unexpected questions about the fifth spot in the rotation. Aaron Nola, who was one of baseball’s best pitchers this season, has allowed a career-high 30 home runs in 28 starts. Zack Wheeler has flown under the radar as one of baseball’s best pitchers, but the poor defense behind him has inflated his numbers.

Michael Lorenzen has struggled in his last four starts since the no-hitter, and Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suarez have lacked consistency, making this season’s rotation less cut-and-dry compared to last year’s, which had a clear ace (Wheeler), second starter (Nola), and three-man (Suarez).

As the season progresses, all six of the Phillies’ starters will be fighting for a spot in the postseason rotation, requiring the Phillies’ pitchers to step up their games for the final three weeks of the season.

Christopher Sanchez, who has arguably been the Phillies’ second-best starter since July, will get the ball for game one. Many Phillies fans want Sanchez to be the team’s third starter because of his recent success, but a lack of experience may prevent him from fulfilling that role in 2023. Despite his 2-3 record, Sanchez has a 3.48 ERA this season, which, if he qualified, would lead the Phillies’ starters.

Rob Thomson has already confirmed that his second starter is Aaron Nola, but if his struggles worsen, it may be hard to justify leaving him in that role. Granted, Nola was significantly better in August, posting a 3.68 ERA in five starts, but he’s coming off one of his worst starts of the season against the Brewers.

Obviously, the Phillies’ pitching staff is far from being set in stone, and even if the playoffs are a near-lock, the Phillies’ hurlers still have a lot to play for.

Game Times and Broadcasts

• Friday, September 8, at 7:05pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680 (Spanish), and 94.1 WIP
• Saturday, September 9, at 6:05pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680 (Spanish), and 94.1 WIP
• Sunday, September 10, at 1:05pm ET on MLB Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680 (Spanish), and 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Christopher Sanchez (LHP, 2-3, 3.48 ERA) vs. Eury Perez (RHP, 5-4, 2.86 ERA)
Game 2: Aaron Nola (RHP, 12-9, 4.55 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (RHP, 1-3, 5.54 ERA)
Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 2-6, 3.91 ERA) vs. TBD

By the Numbers

• Record
• Phillies: 77-62
• Marlins: 72-68

• Run Differential
• Phillies: 69
• Marlins: -44

• Runs Scored Per Game
• Phillies: 4.88
• Marlins: 4.11

• Runs Allowed Per Game
• Phillies: 4.38
• Marlins: 4.43