Marlins 4, Phillies 3: Three straight losses for the Phils

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MIAMI – Marlins Park, or whatever they’re calling it these days, continues to be an unfriendly place for the Phillies.

Making their first visit of the new season to the site of the former Orange Bowl, the Phillies suffered a 4-3 loss Thursday night.

The Phils have lost three in a row and four of five to fall to 3-4 on the season. The Marlins are 2-4.

Since the start of the 2020 season, the Phils are 6-12 in Miami.

Gibson’s night

Kyle Gibson, who walked none and struck out 10 over seven shutout innings in his first start of the season, retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before getting into a load of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings.

He gave up a one-out homer to Garrett Cooper in the bottom of the fourth as the Marlins tied the game at 1-1. Jesus Sanchez followed with a triple and Gibson issued a two-out walk to Avisail Garcia.

Joey Wendle then came up for the Marlins and stroked a 2-2 cutter the other way for a two-run double and a 3-1 Marlins’ lead.

The inning might have been different if Matt Vierling, the Phillies’ center fielder, could have hauled in Sanchez’ triple at the wall. Vierling made a long run to the ball but could not make the tough catch.

Gibson needed 37 pitches to get through that inning. He came out for the fifth and issued a one-out walk and a two-out walk before Sanchez made it a 4-1 game with a base hit to left.

Quick start

The game started off quite promisingly for the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber broke an 0-for-18 skid with a double to right-center, J.T. Realmuto singled and Bryce Harper made it a 1-0 game with a sacrifice fly to left.

Marlins’ starter Sandy Alcantara toughened up after that and the Phillies did not score again until the seventh, when they made it a 4-3 game on a two-run double by Harper.

READ: Phillies add two relievers; Jean Segura out of lineup

The Phils missed a big chance in the fourth inning when they had runners on second and third with no outs. Alcantara retired Bryson Stott and Matt Vierling to skirt trouble and his team rallied for three in the bottom of the inning.

Vierling went 0 for 2 with a walk. He is hitless in 15 at-bats in the new season.

Alec Bohm pinch-hit for Vierling with no outs in the top of the ninth. Bohm got the inning started with a single but a Schwarber hit into a double play to short-circuit the threat.

Roster moves

The Phillies added relievers Andrew Bellatti and James Norwood to the roster before the game and both saw action. They combined on 1 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the game close so the offense had a chance late in the game.

Brad Hand and Corey Knebel both pitched delivered scoreless innings late in the game but the Phils could not come all the way back.

Segura day-to-day

Second baseman Jean Segura was out of the starting lineup. He was hit by a pitch in the area of the left hand/wrist in Wednesday’s game. Manager Joe Girardi said Segura also jammed his shoulder diving in the field in that game. Segura is day-to-day, according to Girardi.

Stott started at second base in place of Segura. Johan Camargo got the start at third.

Up next

Zach Eflin (0-0, 0.00) opposes Miami right-hander Pablo Lopez (0-0, 1.80) on Friday night.

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