Phillies Fall in Series Finale in Miami, Trea Turner Suffers Hamstring Injury

In the series finale against the Miami Marlins on the last day of the road trip, the Philadelphia Phillies sent Taijuan Walker to the mound opposing the former Phillie in Tyler Phillips. Though the Marlins got off to a hot start, the Phillies were able to battle back at various points in the game.

With Nick Castellanos making his first start in three days, it was more than huge to see a triple from him to drive in a run right after the Marlins scored four in the first. Another high point came in the sixth, where a home run from Trea Turner sparked hope on the Phillies’ side, leading to a run batted in for Brandon Marsh, who went 3-3 at the plate this afternoon.

Though a fight throughout the game, the Phillies were ultimately put down for good in the ninth after scoring a run and putting men on first and third down a run. With responses from time to time throughout the game, the Phillies were not able to show their clutch gene, as 5-4 ended up being the score in the loss for the Phillies.

Though a disappointing loss in the end, it was not the biggest concern of the day for Philadelphia.

Turner Leaves the Game after Running to First

Though a lot to mention in this afternoon’s loss, the main story regards Turner, who exited the game at the top of the seventh with a right hamstring strain. Turner grounded the ball to Otto Lopez, reached on a throwing error, and felt a grab in his right hamstring and left the game.

Turner says he will have an MRI tomorrow. He says he is a little sore right now, and hopefully not as bad as last year when he suffered a left hamstring strain, which took him out of the lineup for a little over six weeks.

This late in the year, a hamstring injury to one of the most consistent hitters, runners, and fielders this season in all of Major League Baseball is the worst-case scenario heading into October.

What Happens to Walker Next?

After coming off a questionable start in Milwaukee, where he gave up five earned runs, Walker looked no better today in Miami.

In the first inning, the Marlins were able to jump to a three-run lead off a home run from the Marlins’ shortstop in Lopez. The Marlins, in the same inning, were able to tack on another run to make it a four-run lead after an inning.

Walker was able to go five more innings without giving up a run, but eight hits, four runs, and only one strikeout will not do it in a high-leverage game, showing that Walker may not find his name on the playoff rotation.

Walker, who posted with a sub-4 ERA throughout the year, has had his ERA bumped up to 4.03 after his start in Miami. As of now, it looks as though Walker will still pitch in the six-man rotation for the rest of the regular season, but further news awaits regarding his status in the postseason.

Harper Doesn’t Come Through in the Ninth

With two outs in the ninth, Kyle Schwarber was able to drive in a run to cut the Marlins’ lead to 5-4. Bryce Harper had an opportunity to come up big with a runner on third in a one-run game. Unfortunately, he did not come through and grounded out to second in a disappointing manner.

With an average of .264, Harper has lacked the big moments he had been outstanding in seasons prior. With a pitcher who had been struggling to find the zone, Harper was not able to take advantage of his fastball, resulting in a roller to seal it.

Important Four Games Coming Up Against Division Rival

With the National League East still not locked up completely, a four-game sweep or a three-game series win against the second-place division rival in the New York Mets would do the job, as it would raise the division lead to over nine games over New York.

This will be difficult, however, as the Phillies have been swept by the Mets twice this season already, and they will more than likely be without Turner for the series.

Aaron Nola starts at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow at 6:45 PM for the series opener.

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