The Philadelphia Phillies might never want to return to Pennsylvania.
Left-hander Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.67 ERA) will start for the Phillies on Saturday afternoon as they visit the Miami Marlins and attempt to win their 14th straight road game, which would be a franchise record.
On Friday. the Phillies tied the franchise record of 13 set in 1976.
In addition, since the start of the wild-card era, the Phillies have the third-longest such single-season streak, trailing the Dodgers’ record of 15 set in 2013.
The Phillies reached road win No. 13 in dramatic fashion on Friday. Philadelphia entered the ninth trailing the Marlins 3-1. But after Alec Bohm’s RBI double off of closer A.J. Puk cut the Phillies’ deficit to 3-2, the Marlins remained one out away from a streak-ending victory.
That’s when pinch hitter Cristian Pache slugged a two-run homer just over the glove of center fielder Dane Myers, giving the Phillies a 4-3 victory.
Philadelphia reliever Matt Strahm said the winning streak is no surprise.
“We know what we’re capable of,” he said. “We know what we’ve got.”
The Marlins, who have won eight of their past 13 games, suddenly have a concern with Puk, who has blown two straight save opportunities. Puk is 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA and 14 saves in 18 chances.
“I hung a slider there, and (Pache) hit enough of it to get it over the wall,” Puk said. “I tried to locate it down, and it stayed over the plate.”
Puk started the season brilliantly, going 3-0 with five saves and a 0.75 ERA in April.
He has struggled at times since then, and it cost the Marlins on Friday.
On Saturday, the Marlins will try to get back on track with lefty Braxton Garrett (4-2, 3.61 ERA). Garrett is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies.
Garrett has been much better on the road this season (2.14 ERA in nine games) than at home (5.27 ERA, eight games).
He has alternated stellar months with relatively poor ones this year. His ERA was 2.45 in April and 2.22 in June. But it was 5.46 in May and 4.76 in July.
Suarez, meanwhile, is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 15 appearances against the Marlins, including four starts.
True to Phillies form, Suarez has been better this year on the road (2-1, 1.97 ERA) than at home (0-2, 5.92).
Like Garrett, Suarez’s ERA has fluctuated. Suarez missed April due to injury, went 0-2 with a 7.13 ERA in May and surged in June (2-0, 1.08). In July, he is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA.
Offensively, watch for Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, a former Marlins star. He homered, singled and scored twice in Friday’s win.
The Marlins’ Luis Arraez is at the top of the scouting report as he seeks his second straight batting title. He leads the majors at .386, and he has been named the National League’s starting second baseman for next week’s All-Star Game.
“When you acquire a batting champ, you know there are good bat-to-ball skills,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said of the player she acquired from the Twins in the offseason. “But to do it to this level has been a pleasant surprise. We couldn’t be happier (with Arraez).”
–Field Level Media
