The Phillies finally gave themselves a chance to exhale Sunday night.
Now comes the more difficult part: proving their 11-4 win over the Yankees was the beginning of something rather than another isolated offensive outburst.
Philadelphia opens a three-game series against the Marlins on Monday night at loanDepot park, beginning a stretch that should offer the club an opportunity to strengthen its postseason position. The Phillies enter Miami at 57-49, 5½ games behind Atlanta in the National League East and holding the second NL Wild Card spot by two games.
Miami, meanwhile, is searching for any way to stop a collapse.
The Marlins have lost a franchise-record 12 consecutive games, falling from 10 games above .500 on July 9 to 52-54. Their latest defeat came Sunday when they carried a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning before allowing four runs in a 5-3 loss to San Diego. Miami has scored three runs or fewer in 10 games during the streak and has averaged only 2.5 runs per game.
That makes this a series the Phillies should control. It also makes it dangerous.
Teams carrying extended losing streaks eventually find a way out, and the Phillies cannot afford to provide Miami with the opening it needs. Philadelphia has lost three consecutive series since the All-Star break and scored one run or fewer in five of its first nine second-half games. Sunday’s victory snapped a four-game losing streak and prevented a sweep, but one productive night did not erase the inconsistency that preceded it.
Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm supplied the kind of production the Phillies have been waiting to see from the middle of the lineup. Stott homered and drove in five runs Sunday, while Bohm delivered a bases-clearing double during a nine-pitch at-bat. Together, they accounted for nine of Philadelphia’s 11 runs.
The Phillies do not need another 11-run performance every night in Miami. They do need sustained pressure, better situational hitting and more traffic on the bases. Their .303 team on-base percentage is tied for the worst in the majors, and they have scored one run or fewer an MLB-high 25 times. Those deficiencies have helped turn too many otherwise winnable games into tests of perfection for the pitching staff.
Zack Wheeler gives Philadelphia a considerable advantage in Monday’s opener. The right-hander enters at 10-2 with a 2.16 ERA and 117 strikeouts. Miami will counter with former Phillie Tyler Phillips, who is 2-5 with a 3.52 ERA.
Tuesday’s matchup carries more uncertainty for Philadelphia. Aaron Nola, who owns a 3-8 record and 5.82 ERA, will oppose Sandy Alcantara. The Miami right-hander is 10-6 with a 4.01 ERA and recently carried a strong outing into the eighth inning before the Marlins’ losing streak continued in Houston.
Jesús Luzardo is scheduled to start Wednesday’s afternoon finale against an opponent Miami has yet to announce. Luzardo enters at 9-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 152 strikeouts, giving the Phillies another opportunity to receive length and dominance from the top of their rotation.
The series also arrives one week before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Philadelphia’s needs remain clear: another late-inning reliever, a dependable fifth starter and a right-handed outfield bat. Miami’s losing streak could push the Marlins closer to selling, potentially making players such as Alcantara or reliever Pete Fairbanks part of the deadline conversation.
The Phillies cannot address those roster questions on the field this week.
They can, however, make sure the front office is evaluating ways to improve a team moving forward—not searching for ways to rescue one that has started slipping backward.
Sunday provided relief. Miami provides an opportunity.
For a club trying to remain within range of Atlanta while protecting its Wild Card position, this is not a series the Phillies can simply survive. It is one they need to win.
