blech: Marlins 10, Phillies 3

It had such hope, such promise.

Getting off to a lead in Miami was something that the team needed to do. Playing in the place that has dashed so many of their playoff dreams recently, they had to show that they were ready for this series, to exorcise the demons of years past. They had Kyle Gibson, who has been great with the Phillies, on the mound to keep them close.

Not gonna lie, I’d admire that one for a while too.

Gibson would settle down and the offense would get the team back into the game. In the second, Andrew McCutchen walked, then Matt Vierling laced a triple to right that brought the Phillies within one with no one out in the inning. Unfortunately, the team that has been so hot offensively was unable to push that extra run across, meaning the momentum would remain with Miami. In the sixth, Vierling would strike again, tying the game with a double to left that scored McCutchen again.

Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn’t just skip over to the seventh inning. Instead, they had to pitch in the bottom half of the inning as rules dictate. The only issue was that the Marlins apparently gulped down their spinach prior to hitting as they pushed seven runs across in the inning, sending 12 men to the plate. Miguel Rojas was the big hitter of the inning, knocking in Jazz Chisholm after his triple to start the scoring in the seventh for Miami. A bunch of singles, walks and wild pitches later, the Marlins would have their own seven spot and the game was effectively over.

There is no need to rehash everything. For as good as Gibson has been since coming to Philadelphia at the trade deadline, he was equally as bad tonight. His lack of a true strikeout pitch was readily apparent all evening as the Marlins feasted on stuff that just wasn’t crisp. Credit has to go to Miami for hitting the ball to spots that were unoccupied tonight.

These games will happen. They just have to stop happening again if the Phillies want to make the playoffs.

Side note: I hate Miami.