The Phils lost the first game of the twinbill, 2-1.
Former Phillies prospect Sixto Sanchez dominated in Game 1, tossing a complete game while surrendering three hits and one run. He walked three and struck out four.
Ramon Rosso took the loss for the Phillies, surrendering two runs over 2 1/3 innings.
The Marlins walloped on Zach Efflin in Game 2, scoring four runs on eight hits on him over four innings. The lackluster outing pushed Eflin's ERA to 5.01 on the season.
“I obviously didn’t do my job,” Eflin said.
The Phillies were without J.T. Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins for both contests. Realmuto is dealing with a hip issue and Hoskins is dealing with a sore left forearm stemming from a play in on Saturday night.
Both will undergo MRIs on Monday.
“It’s frustrating,” Hoskins said. “We’ve done a lot of work. I feel like we’ve put ourselves in a good position to get back to the playoffs. But the good thing about this clubhouse is that there are a lot of guys in there that are ready. Obviously, today, it didn’t show, but I think everyone in that clubhouse is confident in whoever steps on the field, that we can still get into the playoffs.”
The Phillies are currently ranked as the No. 7 seed in the National League. If the season were to end today, they would face the Braves in a first-round playoff series.
The club has 15 games remaining in the regular season, including six games against two of the best clubs in the American League in the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.
“We have the guys to do it," Eflin said. "That’s why you have a full roster to have guys come in and take care of business. We’re waiting to see what’s going on with those guys, but in the meantime we need to capitalize. We’re not holding our heads down or anything. We know that we’re a special team, and we’re going to continue to fight and be competitive and take that into the postseason.”
The Phillies will conclude their series with the Marlins on Monday before hosting the Mets for a three-game at Citizens Bank Park starting on Tuesday.
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