PHILADELPHIA -- For weeks, the Phillies have lived on the edge.
They've survived because Cristopher Sánchez has looked unhittable. Because Zack Wheeler has pitched like a Cy Young candidate. Because their rotation has repeatedly masked an offense that too often disappeared for days at a time.
On Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, the offense finally returned the favor.
Brandon Marsh continued one of the best stretches of his career, Rafael Marchán provided production from the bottom of the lineup, and the Phillies pieced together contributions from nearly every corner of the roster in a 9-5 victory over the White Sox that secured a series win and capped a 5-1 homestand.
The victory pushed Philadelphia to 35-30, matching its season-high mark at five games over .500 and providing a needed reminder of what this lineup is capable of when it isn't asking its pitching staff to be nearly perfect.
"We kind of broke out," interim manager Don Mattingly said. "We were able to help the pitching with offense."
That hasn't happened nearly enough this season.
The Phillies entered the weekend still searching for consistency at the plate, ranking among the more frustrating offensive clubs in the National League despite possessing a lineup filled with established veterans and emerging young talent. Yet over three games against Chicago, they scored 20 runs and won two of three despite receiving uneven starting pitching.
That trend continued Sunday.
Aaron Nola never found much rhythm, allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings as the White Sox repeatedly answered Philadelphia's early rallies. Every time it appeared the Phillies might create separation, Chicago found a way back into the game.
The difference was that the Phillies kept punching back.
Bryce Harper started the scoring in the first inning when he lined a run-scoring double off the glove of right fielder Rikuu Nishida, bringing home Trea Turner.
Marchán added breathing room an inning later.
Batting ninth, the backup catcher turned on a pitch and launched a two-run homer to left-center field, his second home run of the season and another example of the unexpected offensive contributions that have surfaced throughout the homestand.
The White Sox answered again.
Then Marsh answered louder.
After a defensive miscue earlier in the afternoon, the Phillies' hottest hitter erased it with one swing in the third inning, lifting a solo home run just beyond the wall in left-center field. It was his third home run in as many days.
"I don't know about the power," Marsh joked. "That's first row, bro. But it's just stringing some good at-bats together, getting in decent counts, getting some good pitches to hit."
Whatever the explanation, Marsh continues to be one of the biggest surprises in baseball.
The outfielder finished 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, raising his National League-leading batting average to .338. Over his last six games, he's hitting .500 while providing power that has rarely been part of his profile at the major league level.
The decisive sequence came in the fifth.
Trailing 5-4, the Phillies mounted the kind of inning that has been missing far too often this season. Alec Bohm tied the game with an RBI double. Bryson Stott followed with a go-ahead single. Justin Crawford then brought home another run on a double-play ball as Philadelphia reclaimed control at 7-5.
Unlike previous games this season, they didn't stop there.
Marsh delivered an RBI single in the sixth. Bohm followed with another run-scoring hit. By the end of the inning, the Phillies had built a four-run cushion and turned the game over to a bullpen that quietly delivered one of its better afternoons of the season.
José Alvarado earned the victory after a scoreless sixth inning, and four relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless frames after Nola exited.
The bullpen's work ensured that a rare offensive outburst didn't go to waste.
"That's the good thing about this team," Marchán said. "If the big guys can't do it that day, it's gonna be somebody down there that's gonna find their way to help the team win."
For one afternoon, that formula was enough.
The Phillies head to Toronto having won five of their last six games and carrying offensive momentum that has been difficult to find for much of the first two months of the season.
Whether the breakout is sustainable remains to be seen.
But after spending most of the spring asking their pitching staff to carry the load, the Phillies finally gave something back.
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