Groundballs galore as Sanchez and Kerkering finish off Marlins
Groundballs galore as Sanchez and Kerkering finish off Marlins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Rob Thomson has talked since spring training about managing his starting pitchers a bit differently in 2025.
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With the long game in mind and the goal of keeping their workhorses as fresh as possible for October, the Phillies have dialed their starters back ever so slightly. Rather than extend them one more inning when their pitch count is nearing the upper limit, the Phils have played it safer. The fact that they trail only the Braves and Rays in innings per start speaks to the efficiency and overall productivity of one of baseball's best rotations.
Thomson could have sent Cristopher Sanchez back out for the ninth inning of Thursday's 2-1 win in Miami but went to Orion Kerkering instead for the save. Sanchez had retired 10 in a row and was at only 91 pitches, but the Phillies' manager stayed true to his word.
While every starter wants to finish his own work when the opportunity presents itself, Sanchez didn't seem too bothered by the decision in the dugout after his eighth and final inning. He was terrific, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and picking up 16 of his 24 outs on the ground.
The lefty is 6-2 with a 2.87 ERA through 15 starts and is on pace to exceed 180 innings.
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The Marlins gave the Phillies a scare in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a one-out error by Alec Bohm, which extended the inning for Miami to later put runners on the corners. Dane Myers popped up to Bohm to end it as Kerkering picked up his second career save.
The Phillies (45-30) took three of four at loanDepot Park, the dullest venue in baseball. They'll come home to substantially more energy this weekend against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, a battle for first place in the NL East. The Mets had lost five in a row entering Thursday so the Phils will be either tied or one game back when the series begins.
Every bit of Sanchez' mastery was required in the finale in Miami because the Phillies didn't score until the seventh inning. They were gifted their first run on a bobble by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who still had a force-out at the plate but chose instead to race to third to unsuccessfully attempt a 5-3 double play on Bryson Stott.
Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 23rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth and Sanchez and Kerkering finished off the series win.
The Phillies have responded to a 2-10 stretch by winning six of their last seven. Their ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks off the weekend looking to maintain momentum. The Phils have played poorly against the Mets for a calendar year but have a chance to help themselves out in a big way. It's an important head-to-head opportunity, one that won't come up again until the final week of August.
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