Bullpen Heads Steadfast, Roommates Thrive — Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, June 16-19
Apr 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trea Turner (7) hits a single against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After a successful 5-1 homestand, the Phillies will travel down to LoanDepot Park to take on the Marlins in a four-game set. Their homestand included a series win against the Cubs, who lead the NL Central, and a series sweep over the Blue Jays, who are five games over the .500 mark.
Fans had their fair share of doubts about the Phillies after they’d been swept in Pittsburgh, but they came home for a reset and battled against two playoff-hopeful teams. Safe to say the vibes are back up.
Their new challenge is beating up on their sub-.500 divisional foes, the Marlins. Seemingly an easy task for a team coming off a strong six-game stretch, however, they’re heading into a stadium full of trouble.
The Phillies have a record of 20-21 against the Marlins on the road over the last five years. Not a good record for a team that has been consistently better than the Marlins.
The Marlins themselves have had a difficult year. They hold a 28-41 record, which anchors them in last place in the NL East. The only two teams that have had a worse year in the National League are the Rockies, who may finish with one of the worst records ever, and the Pirates, who happened to sweep the Phillies.
The Marlins first faced the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in mid-April, as the Phillies took two out of three games in the series. Their only win in that series came from a disastrous eighth inning by Orion Kerkering that eventually brought on extra innings.
Since they left Philadelphia, the Marlins have a 19-29 record, which includes the Rockies series sweep over them.
Let’s take a look at the keys to the series:
Bullpen Fortitude
The Phillies’ bullpen has been all over the place. Since the start of June, they’ve recalled five pitchers from Lehigh Valley, including Mick Abel. Four of them have been sent back down in the same time frame. The Phillies were experimenting, hoping one reliever would come through and solidify themselves in the bullpen.
None of them have, though Michael Mercado is still on the active roster.
It’s been bad enough that Taijuan Walker, who signed for $72 million over four years, has taken on a bullpen role.
But in their successful homestand, the bullpen was solid.
Jordan Romano has been reliable for quite some time now. In his two appearances in the homestand, he threw an inning each, giving up no runs or hits. Against the Cubs, he entered in the tenth with an inherited runner on second and cleaned up the inning in seven pitches.
Kerkering, who had his struggles in April, has not given up a run since May 6th. That is fifteen scoreless appearances. His fastball is back to upper-90s, and the slider is as good as the day he got called up.
A weak point in the bullpen recently is Matt Strahm, who gave up a game-tying home run in the Cubs series. Like all relievers, especially for the Phillies, Strahm has been inconsistent this season. His ERA lies much lower than Romano but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Since Jose Alvarado‘s departure, Strahm should be the top dog of the bullpen. He’s the longest tenured Phillie in the bullpen, but has been the weakest of the three main relievers.
Despite a few bad games from Strahm, the bullpen seems to have found a groove lately, subject to change. The Phillies will need their bullpen to continue holding their own in this upcoming series to lock down a series win.
Roommates Stay Hot
A recurring theme at LoanDepot Park is despair. The park looks depressing. It feels depressing. The fans themselves are likely depressed watching. Unfortunately, the despair makes its way to the Phillies, who have difficulty hitting down there.
Luckily, a few bats have caught fire in the last few weeks, including Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm. Bohm, who is hitting higher in the lineup due to Bryce Harper‘s absence, has turned around what seemed to be an awful April into a promising season.
Since May 1st, Bohm is batting .322 with an .835 OPS — that would rank second on the team behind Kyle Schwarber (.923). Bohm’s been a bright spot in the middle of a lineup that struggled for much of late May.
His roommate, Marsh, who returned from the injured list on May 3rd, has been slugging since then. He’s posted a .338 average with a .867 OPS — slightly beating out his roommate. Marsh has split time with Johan Rojas in centerfield, but it’s becoming apparent who deserves the bigger role.
The two roommates will be bringing their flaming hot bats down to Miami as Bohm hits cleanup and Marsh anchors down the lineup, serving as prime spots to get a rally going.
Phillies’ bats go cold down in Miami — but the two former daycare members will look to keep the heat.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Monday, June 16, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Tuesday, June 17, 6:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Wednesday, June 18, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Thursday, June 19, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Mick Abel (RHP, 1-0, 2.35 ERA) vs. Sandy Alcantara (RHP, 3-7, 7.14 ERA)
Game 2: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 6-2, 4.23 ERA) vs. Cal Quantrill (RHP, 3-7, 5.61 ERA)
Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 5-2, 4.46 ERA) vs. TBD
Game 4: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 5-2, 3.05 ERA) vs. Edward Cabrera (RHP, 2-2, 4.10 ERA)
By the Numbers
- Records
- Phillies: 42-29
- Marlins: 28-41
- Run Differential
- Phillies: 33
- Marlins: -88
- Runs Scored Per Game
- Phillies: 4.61
- Marlins: 4.10
- Runs Allowed Per Game
- Phillies: 4.24
- Marlins: 5.43
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Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
