Phillies get only 4 hits in shutout loss to Marlins
MIAMI - Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera tossed their batting helmets after the eighth inning of a 6-0 loss to Miami and handed them to their base coaches. Another rally came up empty and two more runners were left stranded Wednesday night.
MIAMI - Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera tossed their batting helmets after the eighth inning of a 6-0 loss to Miami and handed them to their base coaches. Another rally came up empty and two more runners were left stranded Wednesday night.
The Phillies left seven runners on base, including players on second and third base in both the first and third innings. They went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, struck out 13 times and hit into two double plays. They could not get a key hit. The Phillies were shut out for the ninth time this season and the second time this month as they mustered just four hits.
The Phillies entered Wednesday ranked worst in the National League in runs scored, second worst in batting average, and third worst in runners left on base. The loss was a microcosm of a challenging season. The offense was without Maikel Franco, who is day-to-day with a right thumb injury. Franco said he jammed his thumb during an at-bat on Sunday but did not tell the Phillies until Wednesday.
"It's frustrating," manager Pete Mackanin said about his team's struggles with runners in scoring position. "We've been going through that for quite a while. We just need to be better at it. Categories in hitting, we're at the bottom. On-base, slugging, doubles, hits, runs. There's your story right there."
Jeremy Hellickson pitched six innings and allowed four runs, three of which were earned. Hellickson struck out one, walked none, and has allowed four or fewer runs in 14 of his last 15 starts. He kept the Phillies in the game, but just staying in the game was not enough when the offense was listless.
Ichiro Suzuki tripled with one out in the first and Hellickson limited the damage to just one run. Marcell Ozuna doubled to start the second and again Hellickson held the Marlins to just a run. They tagged him for solo runs in the fifth and sixth. The Marlins put the game away with two runs against relievers Patrick Schuster and Severino Gonzalez.
"You just have to battle," Hellickson said. "Not every game is going to go how you want it. You have to keep trying to make pitches. Tonight was an example of that. I made too many mistakes early in the count, especially in the first couple of innings."
The Phillies started the game with what looked to be a first-inning rally, but Herrera, Tommy Joseph, and Freddy Galvis were each unable to knock in a run after Cesar Hernandez and Altherr reached base. Herrera lined out, Joseph grounded out, and Galvis whiffed.
Redemption appeared to arrive in the third when Hernandez singled and Altherr followed with a walk. But Herrera grounded out and Joseph struck out to end the rally.
And then in the fifth, another rally proved fruitless. Peter Bourjos led off with a double and moved to third on Hellickson's sacrifice bunt. Hernandez struck out and Altherr walked to bring up Herrera with runners on first and third.
Altherr sprinted to steal second and was ruled safe as he slid into the bag. The Marlins challenged the call and Altherr turned to watch the replay on the large scoreboard in center field. He watched shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria tag his left leg as Altherr reached for the bag. He stood a few feet from second base and waited for the umpires to rule him out. They did and the inning was over. Another rally came up empty.
@matt_breen