Say Goodbye to Your Favorite Phillie Killer—Series Preview: Marlins at Phillies, August 13 – 14
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One of the most damning facts about the Phillies since the break is that these very Marlins have a better record in the second half than the Phillies do.
The Marlins are a completely different ball club since the Phillies last played them in June. No more Jazz Chisholm, A.J. Puk, Tanner Scott, Bryan De La Cruz, or Josh Bell.
In such a close race for the number one seed in the NL East, the Phillies need to win an easy two-game series like this one if they want to keep their hopes alive.
Can the backend of the rotation hold up?
The ever-frustrating Taijuan Walker is set to make his return from the IL tonight in front of the home crowd at the Bank.
It is safe to say that Walker’s season has been shaky at best, and he’s become almost unplayable at worst. On the bright side, however, his best performance of this season came against Miami back in May when he went six innings allowing just one run to a Marlins team still with its best players as opposed to the one he’ll face tonight.
They will need Walker on his A-game because on the other side of things, there is Marlin’s rookie starter Valente Bellozo.
In a small sample size, the 24-year-old righty has shown immense potential, currently boasting a 3.05 ERA. Hopefully the Phillies powerful and experienced lineup will be able to get to the rook, but there is no guarantee with how cold the offense has been, especially with runners in scoring position.
In the second—and final—game of the series, the Phillies give the bump to a rookie of their own in Tyler Phillips. Phillips has been a godsend for the Phillies in his 6 starts going 4-1 with a 4.83 ERA but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Phillips’ ERA is very inflated at the moment due to a disastrous start, where he may have been tipping pitches, against the Mariners. In his 4 starts in July, you could argue he was the best pitcher in the rotation.
In July, he pitched 25 innings to the tune of a 1.80 ERA and capped it off with a complete game shutout against one of baseball’s best offenses in the Cleveland Guardians. I have faith that Phillips will rebound from his rough start in August against this woeful Marlins squad and hopefully help get the team back on track.
Hitting with RISP
It’s an open secret why the Phillies haven’t performed well offensively since the break. They’ve been one of baseball’s worst teams at hitting with runners in scoring position. Luckily for us, if there’s one team to rebound against, it’s these Marlins.
The Marlins have the third-highest ERA out of any team in baseball. Along with that, Bryce Harper has heated up again in these last five or so games, seemingly breaking out of that slump. The biggest question mark to how good the offense can be is Trea Turner.
We all know how good Trea Turner can be, but since starting in the All Star Game, he’s been a complete liability at the plate. He’s been hitting an abysmal .176, which is simply unacceptable from the second man in your lineup. Especially when the leadoff man, Kyle Schwarber, has been outstanding in the second half. Schwarber is hitting .288 with an OBP of .433, so he’s giving Trea Turner plenty of chances that he’s simply not taking advantage of.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Tuesday, August 13, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP
Wednesday, August 14, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Taijuan Walker (RHP, 3-3, 5.60 ERA) vs. Valente Bellozo (RHP, 1-1, 3.05 ERA)
Game 2: Tyler Phillips (RHP, 4-1, 4.83 ERA) vs. Xzavion Curry (RHP, 0-2, 5.84 ERA)
By the Numbers
- Records
- Phillies: 69-49
- Marlins: 44-75
- Run Differential
- Phillies: 90
- Marlins: -161
- Runs Scored Per Game
- Phillies: 4.8
- Marlins: 3.7
- Runs Allowed Per Game
- Phillies: 4.08
- Marlins: 5.05
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