One to forget, again: Marlins 10, Phillies 3

If you had something better to do tonight and you couldn’t watch the game then you were one of the lucky ones. The Phillies got beat – badly at that – by the lowly Marlins. The Marlins who scored 2 runs on 17 hits in their last 4 games combined were able to hang 10 runs on 18 hits on Saturday night alone, most damage done against Phillies starter Zach Eflin, who gave up 6 runs on 10 hits with the remainder charged to the line of Juan Nicasion, 4 runs on 7 hits.

This is the second game in the last three that the Phillies were tough to watch.

Part of the problem tonight was that Phillies pitching and catcher J.T. Realmuto didn’t seem to get the message that the Marlins were swinging early in their at bats. They just kept throwing first pitch strikes right over the plate and the Marlins hitters kept banging them - mostly for run-scoring extra-base hits.

10 of the 17 hits and 7 of the 10 Marlins runs came on the first or second pitch of their at bat. That’s unbelievable. At what point do you, as the opposition, realize this? At what point do you, as the opposition, make them feel a bit…uncomfortable on that first pitch as opposed to serving up something extremely hittable? Apparently for the Phillies, you don’t.

What makes this whole thing even worse is that Brian Anderson did it twice and Austin Dean did it three times.

When it’s this bad and this dramatic and this obvious, you have to go outside of the pitcher and the catcher and maybe blame the coaching staff for not remedying the situation.

Defensively Andrew McCutchen continues to dazzle in left, making every play that he should be making and then some. After what Phillies fans had to endure last season in left having a player who is beyond competent out there is real treat.

Offensively the Phillies struggled mightily collecting only a single hit through 7 innings, a double by McCutchen. Bryce Harper did extend his on-base streak with a walk in the first but struck out in two other at bats. Scott Kingery, who came on to pinch hit and play third base for Maikel Franco in the eighth, had two double in his two at bats; he is now hitting .500 in limited time but perhaps, with the struggles that Cesar Hernandez has had stretching back to last season (.219/.311/.318 since Jully 22^ndof 2018), he should be getting more of a look.

The Phils did put three runs on the board in the ninth inning but the rally ended when Seranthony Dominguez was forced to hit because the team was out of position players to pinch hit. He struck out on three pitches.

At least they weren’t shut out. Take what solace you may in that.