PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:
GAME #106 RECAP: The Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins, 4-2, in the first game of a four-game set on South Beach … Starter Taijuan Walker became the first pitcher in MLB to reach 12 wins as he went 6.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts … Down 2-0 after the 1st, the Phillies held the Marlins scoreless for the remainder of the game … Offensively, Alec Bohm had 2 hits, Johan Rojas had 2 hits and a 2-run double and the club drew a season-high 10 walks … Craig Kimbrel picked up his 18th save in 19 chances with a scoreless 9th.
ARMS RACE: Over the last 49 games (since 6/3), the Phillies’ starting rotation has gone 19-11 with a 3.15 ERA (102 ER, 291.0 IP) with 291 strikeouts to 73 walks (3.99 SO/BB ratio) – during this stretch, they have the lowest OPS among all starting staffs in MLB at .651 (next: SD, .671), the lowest opponents AVG at .224 (next: MIL, .230), the lowest opponents OBP at .278 (next: SEA, .291), the lowest opponents SLG at .373 (next: SD, .375), the lowest WHIP at 1.09 (next: MIA, 1.13) and the most innings pitched at 291.0 (next: MIL, 281.2) – their 3.15 ERA ranks 2nd in MLB (best: SD, 2.92) … The staff has gone at least 6.0 innings in 32 of those 49 games (65%), at least 7.0 innings in 14 of those 49 games (29%) and of their 49 starts, 26 have been quality starts (53%) … Since June 3, the Phillies bullpen has tossed the fewest innings of any relief corps in MLB at 155.0 (29th is MIN at 158.0 and most is SF at 244.2) but have the 5thlowest ERA in MLB at 3.31 … Philadelphia’s starters and relievers have combined for 15.9 fWAR this season which leads MLB (next: SEA, 14.4) and is more than three full wins clear of the next closest NL club (MIA, 12.4 fWAR).
BOBBY D SHOUTOUT: This season, the Phillies infield is credited with nine outs above average (OAA) per Statcast which ranks 9th among all 30 clubs in MLB – Statcast credits the Phillies infield with seven runs prevented which ranks T-8th in MLB (with NYY) … Since June 1, the Phillies infield is credited with 12 outs above average which leads all National League infields and is T-1st in MLB with the Royals infield (also 12 OAA) … Philadelphia’s infield has seen an improvement of 20 outs above average from last season when they had -11 OAA as a unit which ranked 25th in MLB … Philadelphia’s nine OAA from the infield this season marks their highest total since Statcast started tracking OAA in 2016 (previous: 5 OAA in 2017).
YOU’RE SO GOLDEN: Second baseman Bryson Stott has played in 841.1 of the Phillies total 940.1 innings in the field this season … His 841.1 innings at second base rank 2nd in the National League behind only Ozzie Albies (925.0) … With 7 defensive runs saved at 2nd base, Stott is tied for the National League lead in DRS at 2nd base among those who qualify with CHI’s Nico Hoerner who also has 7 … Stott set a franchise record earlier this season when he began his career with 84 consecutive games at second base without an error, eclipsing the previous mark held by Tomas Perez (57 G) from 2001-02 … The last Phillies player to win a Gold Glove Award was J.T. Realmuto in 2022 – Manny Trillo is the only Phillies second baseman to ever take home a Gold Glove, doing so three times (1979, 1981, 1982).
PRESSURE COOKER: Since June 25, Alec Bohm has raised his season AVG from .259 to .287 entering play tonight – in that span (29 G), he is slashing .352/.424/.505 with a .928 OPS … With RISP since June 25, he is slashing .412/.474/.588 with a 1.062 OPS, 16 RBI and 3 walks to 5 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances … Overall, with RISP this season, Bohm is hitting .358 (39-109) which ranks 6th in the National League … Additionally, With RISP and 2 outs, Bohm has 57 at bats which is tied for the most in the NL (with WSH’s Lane Thomas) – he is hitting .298 with RISP and 2 outs and his 17 hits are T-2nd in the NL (with Freddie Freeman) and his 23 RBI in such situations rank 4th in the NL, behind only LAD’s J.D. Martinez (27), Mookie Betts (26) and Freeman (26).
REMEMBER THE FIGHTINS: The Phillies have won 32 of their last 49 games (since 6/3) and their .653 winning percentage since June 3rd ranks 2nd in MLB behind only ATL (34-13, .723).… Philadelphia opened the 2023 season on the road and went 1-5 in six games through TEX (0-3) and NYY (1-2) … Since then (4/7-current), they are 56-44 with a .560 winning percentage that ranks 2nd in the National League behind only ATL (.629) and T-5th in MLB (with TEX).
RISP AND REWARD: Since June 3, the Phillies rank 2nd in the National League and 4th in MLB with a .282 AVG with runners in scoring position (120-for-425) and trail only BAL (.299 AVG), DET (.285 AVG) and ATL (.284 AVG) … Philadelphia’s .364 OBP with RISP since June 3rd ranks 3rd in MLB behind only LAD (.382 OBP) and ATL (.366 OBP) … League average since 6/3 with RISP is a .257 AVG/.336 OBP … AVG/OBP leaders for the Phillies since 6/3: Alec Bohm (.380 AVG/.418 OBP), Bryson Stott (.324 AVG/.364 OBP), Bryce Harper (.298 AVG/.358 OBP) and Trea Turner (.292 AVG/.382 OBP)… OPS leaders for the Phils with RISP since June 3: Kyle Schwarber (1.050 OPS), Bohm (.938 OPS) and Nick Castellanos (.825 OPS).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE: Last night, the Phillies tallied 10 walks at the plate which was their most since an 11-walk game on July 21, 2021 at NYY – last night marked the 141st game since 1901 the Phils reached double digits in walks … Over the last 10 games (since 7/21) Philadelphia has 54 walks which marks their most in a 10-game span since the beginning of the 2019 season (55 BB, 3/30-4/10).
HATS OFF TO YOU THOMS: Since Rob Thomson was named manager of the Phillies on June 3, 2022, the Phils are 27 games over .500 at 122-95 with a .562 winning percentage that ranks 6th in MLB, trailing only ATL (.668), LAD (.633), HOU (.610), BAL (.586) and SEA (.567) … On June 15 at ARI, Thomson reached 100 career wins in 180 games at the helm which was tied for the 6th fastest of the 56 managers in Phillies history and the fastest since Pat Corrales in 1983 (also 180 games).
FAMILIAR FOE: The Phillies will face Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara for the 19th time tonight … Over their first seven meetings against Alcantara (9/5/18-5/20/21), the Phillies went 1-6 against the Marlins … However, over their last 11 matchups against Alcantara (since 5/25/21), the Phillies are 9-2 and have won six of seven (since 6/13/22) … Since the start of last season, the Phillies have faced Alcantara eight times which is tied for the most games against any one starting pitcher of any team in MLB.
TONIGHT’S STARTER – RANGER SUÁREZ • LHP #55
2023: 2-5, 4.22 ERA Career: 27-20, 3.33 ERA
LAST START: 7/26 vs BAL: ND, 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, HR, BB, 6 SO … Suárez vs Bradish … The Phillies defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4, and took two of three games from the club with the best winning percentage in the American League … Baltimore jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Phillies rallied for two runs in the 3rd and 4th to make it 4-3 Phils … The Orioles tied it in the 7th before Edmundo Sosa smashed a solo homer to right in the bottom of the frame to put the Phillies ahead … Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect 8th and Gregory Soto pitched a clean 9th to pick up his 2nd save of 2023
TONIGHT’S START:
- Gone Fishing: As a starter, Suárez has posted a 1.63 ERA (5 ER, 27.2 IP) against Miami … Since becoming a full-time starter on 8/2/21, Suárez has the 4th best ERA against the Marlins among pitchers who have at tossed at least 10.0 IP against them in that span (best: Corbin Burnes, 0.60 ERA)
- Ground Level: Suárez’s ground ball % of 51.1% is 7th -highest among all National League pitchers with at least 70.0 IP and his ground ball/fly ball rate of 2.13 is 6th … Since 2021, his 55.8% ground ball % is 4th in baseball and 2nd in the NL
- Southpaw Starters: Among NL left-handers with at least 10 starts, Suárez ranks 7th in FIP (3.86), 9th in OPP SLG (.418) and 11th in ERA (4.22) OPP OPS (.748)
- Trouble With the Curve: Suárez has thrown his curveball 256 times in 79.0 IP this season after only throwing it 198 times in 155.1 IP last year … He is holding batters to a .172 average (10-56) with his curveball and has struck out 23 batters with a whiff rate of 36.4% … Among NL pitchers (min. 50 PA), Suárez’s curveball ranks 8th in strikeout % (39%), 14th in whiff % and 11th in OPP AVG • Pitch Usage: Sinker (28.9%), 4-Seam Fastball (20.9%), Curveball (19.7%), Changeup (17.9%), Cutter (12%), Slider (0.5%)
ROAD:
- 2023: 6-3, 2.95 ERA (14 ER, 42.2 IP) in 7 starts
- Career: 13-12, SV, 3.12 ERA (72 ER, 208.0 IP) in 64 games (28 starts)
2023 SEASON:
- Recorded a 5-game streak with at least 6 IP and 1 or no runs (6/4- 27) … It was the 10th time a Phillies Pitcher had done so and the first time since Cole Hamels in 2014
- Posted a 17.0-inning scoreless streak (6/9-20)
- Struck out at least 7 batters in a career-high four straight starts (6/9-27)
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today play the second of four games against Philadelphia, which wraps up a seven-game homestand that began with a three-game series against Detroit, with Miami taking two of three. Miami is in the midst of a 13-game stretch without a day off, as the club will head to Texas and Cincinnati for a six-game road trip from Aug. 4-9.
FISH BYTES
- The Marlins are tied for their 3rd-best start to a season through the club’s first 107 games (57-50, .533), with the 2016 team. The only better starts came in 1997 (62-45, .579) and 2003 (58-49, .542).
- Miami ranks first in the National League with 961 H, and ranks 2nd with a collective .264 AVG (trailing only ATL, .269).
- The Marlins pitching staff leads the National League with 1,006 strikeouts.
- The Marlins are tied with the Cardinals for the National League-lead with 44 games in which the offense has collected 10+ hits, behind only Texas (52) and Boston (45) for the MLB lead. In 2022, the Marlins collected 10+ hits in 43 of their 162 games – the second-least such games in the first 30 seasons of the franchise.
A MEANINGFUL AUGUST
The Marlins enter the month of August in a postseason position for just the 4th time in club history, joining the 1997, 2003, and 2016 teams, and with a winning record at this point for the 9th time. Miami sits at 7 games over .500, 7 games shy of their season-high mark. This year is just the 3rd season the Marlins have been at least 14 games over .500 at any point (also ’97 – finished 22 games over; and ’03 – finished 20 games over).
SERIES SPOTLIGHT
The Marlins this week play their third of four series against the Phillies, who they have fared 4-3 against so far this year. Have won each of the first two series, one in Philadelphia back in April (2-1), and the other at loanDepot park from July 7-9 (2-1). After dropping the series opener, Miami won the final two games to advance to a season-high 14 G over .500.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped the series opener vs. Philadelphia, 4-2. RHP Edward Cabrera allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 6 walks over 3.0 innings, while the Marlins bullpen combined to walk another 4 batters and allow 2 runs over the final 6.0 innings. DH Jorge Soler hit his 25th homer of the season, a 2-run shot in the first inning. 2B Luis Arraez recorded his 16th 3-hit game.
ENTER SANDMAN
Last Wednesday, July 26, at Tampa Bay, RHP Sandy Alcantara hurled his 11th career complete game – almost twice as many as any other pitcher since 2019 (Adam Wainwright-6). Was his 2nd complete game win of the season (also April 4 v. MIN), joining TEX’s Nathan Eovaldi as the only two pitchers to throw multiple complete game in 2023.
- In addition to the charts to the right, Wednesday’s win tied Alcantara with Jose Fernandez (38) for the 9th most in franchise history. His 131 starts are tied with A.J. Burnett (131) for the 7th-most by a Marlins pitcher. Ranks 4th in Marlins history in CG wins, behind only Dontrelle Willis (13), A.J. Burnett (12), and Kevin Brown (10).
FULL STRENGTH
The Marlins this week returned CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. and RF Avisail Garcia from the IL. The pair, who were both in the Opening Day lineup, had combined to play in just 67 games for the Marlins this season prior to their returns.
- CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. has missed a combined 59 games across two IL stints (turf toe and left oblique strain). Made his first start back in center field last night, going 1×3 with 1 double in his first at bat, 1 walk, and 1 stolen base.
- RF Avisail Garcia made his return to the Marlins lineup on Sunday, going 2×4 with 1 run scored, 1 triple, and 1 RBI after missing 78 games on the IL. Marked his 17th career triple and the first since Sept. 5, 2019 vs. Toronto (w/ TB).
LA REGADERA
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .381 AVG (149×391), .429 OBP, and 149 hits.
- Is hitting .474 (37×78) with RISP, also the best mark among qualifiers.
- Marks the most hits and highest AVG by a Marlin through his first 101 games of a season.
- His 43 multi-hit games are the 2nd most in MLB. Has a Major League-most 16 games of at least 3 hits. Owns 6 games with at least 4 hits this year, most in the Majors and most by a Marlins player in a single season.
- After going 3×4 on Monday, becomes the first qualified hitter since 2000 (Nomar Garciaparra, .394) to enter August batting average above .380.
SOLER POWER
DH/OF Jorge Soler is tied for 6th in the National League (t-8th in MLB) with 25 home runs. His home run last night in the first inning gave Miami an early 2-0 lead, marking his 14th go-ahead or game-tying home run. Is tied for the fourth-most homers in MLB, behind Luis Robert Jr. (18), Mookie Betts (17), Shohei Ohtani (15), and Kyle Schwarber (15).
- In 903 career at-bats post-ASB, Soler has 65 home runs (13.9 AB/HR). In 1,849 at-bats pre-ASB, Soler has 86 career homers (21.5 AB/HR).
FIGHTIN’ FISH
3B Jean Segura played in 98 games with the Phillies in 2022, batting .277 with a .336 OBP during the regular season. He also made his postseason debut last year, starting at second base in all 17 playoff games. Posted a .462 AVG (6×13) with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
MAKING A MARLINS IMPACT
Earlier today, the Marlins hosted the 2023 National PLAY Campaign at loanDepot park to promote the importance of children living a healthy and active lifestyle. Players Jonathan Davis and Trevor Rogers were joined by the Marlins’ Athletic Training staff, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, and Henry Schein Cares Foundation in leading an engaging discussion, with a focus on positive messages about making healthy decisions and living a more active lifestyle.
RUNNING WILD
The Marlins tonight will introduce their new mascot race – the Rooster Race. The debut will take place in the middle of the 6th inning.
TODAY’S STARTER – #22 SANDY ALCANTARA
- The reigning NL Cy Young Sandy Alcantara will make his 22nd start of the season today. Will mark his 19th career start against the Philadelphia Phillies. His 18 career starts against Philadelphia mark his most against any opponent.
- Last faced Philadelphia on July 7 at loanDepot park. Allowed 1 run on 8 hits (1 home run) over 6.2 innings with 5 strikeouts and 0 walks.
- In his most recent start at Tampa Bay on July 26, recorded his 11th career complete game, allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts.
- Marked his 2nd complete game win of the season (other, April 4 vs. MIN), joining TEX’s Nathan Eovaldi as the only two pitchers to throw multiple complete game wins in 2023.
- Marked his 9th career complete game win. Now ranks 4th in Marlins history in CG wins, behind only Dontrelle Willis (13), A.J. Burnett (12), and Kevin Brown (10).
- Became the first visiting pitcher to record a complete game win against the Rays at Tropicana
Field since NYY’s Masahiro Tanaka on July 24, 2018. - With 97 pitches thrown in his complete game victory, became the third pitcher in MLB this season to record a complete game win in under 100 pitches, joining NYY’s Domingo German (99 pitches) and ATL’s Max Fried (86 pitches).
- Is tied for third-most among NL pitchers with 8 starts of 7.0+ IP (behind SF’s Logan Webb – 12 and ARI’s Zac Gallen – 9).
- His 135.1 IP this season ranks fifth in MLB.
