Nick Castellanos sparked the offense with a double, two singles, and three RBIs, leading the charge for the Phillies, who now boast an MLB-best 55-29 record. This win marked Philadelphia's third consecutive game without injured All-Star Bryce Harper.
"This was a big one," manager Rob Thomson said. "We all needed it. I know they fight, I know they’re resilient, I know they never quit."
The Phillies faced a daunting four-run deficit when Ranger Suárez departed in the top of the fifth—a tall task for a team that had scored just four runs total in two games since placing Harper and Kyle Schwarber on the injured list Friday.
But Castellanos roped an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, then added a two-run single in the sixth—after the Marlins botched what should have been an inning-ending double play—to cut the deficit to one.
The Phillies took the lead in the seventh. Andrew Nardi (1-1) walked the first two batters, and they advanced on Rafael Marchán’s sacrifice bunt. Nardi got Bryson Stott to fly out to shallow right field for the second out and then was relieved by Anthony Bender. Turner, who had an 0-for-4 performance the previous day, then sent the Phillies in front with a liner into left field that emptied the bases.
Turner's clutch knock came less than 24 hours after a frustrating outing that included striking out in a key spot in a one-run loss. With runners on the corners and nobody out in the fifth on Saturday, Turner fouled off a first-pitch 96.5 mph fastball right down the middle before ultimately chasing a pitch in the dirt for strike three. In his seventh-inning at-bat on Sunday, he laid off an 0-1 breaking ball in the dirt and then roped a 97 mph sinker back through the box.
Turner finished 3-for-5 on the afternoon and raised his average to .332 on the season.
Ranger Suárez had arguably the worst start of his career. The National League Cy Young contender was tagged for six runs off nine hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He did not record a single strikeout for the first time in his 83 career starts.
"I just had a bad day as every other pitcher in the league does," Suárez said via team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. "It's just about coming back and turning the page."
In the end, Turner was able to celebrate the Phillies' largest come-from-behind win of the year, a fitting way to mark a birthday.
