Miami entered its series with the Philadelphia Phillies searching for answers, as the Marlins had been swept in four straight series.
Now it’s the Phillies who are looking to avoid a sweep on Wednesday afternoon, when they conclude their three-game set in Miami.
The Marlins had lost a franchise-record 12 straight games going into their series with the Phillies, who arrived in town after losing their first three series since the All-Star break — all at home.
Now, that series skid has reached four in a row.
The Phillies squandered a 7-5 lead to the Marlins in the ninth inning Monday in an 8-7 defeat. Philadelphia followed that with an uninspiring 1-0 setback on Tuesday.
Philadelphia is 3-8 since the Midsummer Classic.
“Obviously we don’t want to make excuses or not come out of the break hot like (we have),” said Bryce Harper, who had one of the team’s four hits on Tuesday, “but sometimes that’s how baseball works.”
The Phillies played Tuesday’s contest without Kyle Schwarber, who sat with a gastrointestinal issue and is not expected to suit up Wednesday.
“Not really,” Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday of his confidence that the team’s star designated hitter will play in the series finale. “He wasn’t available tonight. We’ll just see where he’s at tomorrow and have to go from there.”
Sandy Alcantara pitched seven scoreless innings on Tuesday — giving up four hits and striking out five — while Kyle Stowers took care of the offense with a first-inning home run.
“With us getting one last night,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said, “and now a chance to get back to .500 (on the season) and win a series against a familiar opponent for him, I think (Alcantara) just felt like, ‘I’m going to go step on it from pitch one.'”
The Marlins hope right-hander Ryan Gusto (0-2, 4.50 ERA) can give them a fraction of the effort that Alcantara delivered. Gusto has made 12 appearances (seven starts) and last appeared in a game Friday, when he yielded one run in 3 1/3 innings in his team’s 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres.
“All I have to do is keep pitching,” Gusto said. “Try to keep the team in the game is really the No. 1 goal.”
Gusto has faced the Phillies once in his career, on June 15, when he allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-0 defeat.
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo (9-5, 3.31 ERA) will counter for Philadelphia as the All-Star looks to deliver another strong outing. He has a 1.08 ERA in four starts this month and has not allowed more than two earned runs in a start since June 5.
Most recently, Luzardo surrendered just one run and three hits over seven innings in a 1-0 defeat to the New York Yankees on Friday.
“(His) sweeper has been elite,” Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “He’s taking another step forward with that pitch this year, as far as being able to use it when he wants. Throw for chase, throw for strikes, throw behind in the count.”
Luzardo has faced the Marlins, his former team, twice this season, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. For his career, he is 4-1 with a 2.58 ERA in six appearances (all starts) against Miami.
–Field Level Media
