Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Michael Saunders, Phillies slide past Marlins for sixth straight win

Michael Saunders made a smooth move to score the decisive run in the sixth inning.

It looked, in slow motion, effortless. Michael Saunders angled his body to the back corner of home plate in the sixth inning of Thursday's 3-2 Phillies win at Citizens Bank Park. His eyes locked onto Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto's glove. As Realmuto reached for Saunders, the veteran Phillies outfielder contorted. He scraped the plate with his left hand, just before Realmuto pressed his glove against Saunders' chest.

He was safe.

The Phillies have won six games in a row, and even the little things are beautiful right now. Yes, this is a young team still prone to mistakes. Yes, it is still April and the Phillies enjoyed a similar unexpected start to last season that soured before July. Yes, there is expansive room for improvement.

But these 11-9 Phillies have played a particularly decent brand of baseball for a few weeks. That counts for something.

"The way we're playing right now, we're not afraid of anybody," said Brock Stassi, who plated Saunders with a triple. "We've faced some good pitching already. The Mets and the Nationals have great pitching staffs. Even the Marlins, too. It goes to show we grind out at-bats."

It is their best record at the 20-game mark since 2011, when those Phillies were 14-6 on their way to 102 wins. The Phillies have had a negative run differential through 20 games in every subsequent season. But they have outscored their opponents by 11 runs in the first 20 games of this season.

"We're coming together as a team," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "The starters have given us more innings, which makes it a little bit easier for the bullpen. The bullpen has been doing their job. We're getting timely hitting. It's a good feeling. We just have to continue that for a little bit longer than we did last year."

The Phillies on Thursday batted Daniel Nava first, benched Cesar Hernandez for Andres Blanco, and started reserves Stassi and Andrew Knapp. They used three pitchers to navigate a dangerous seventh inning. They made two double switches.

They still won.

The schedule now offers a greater challenge. Thirteen of the team's next 15 games are against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Nationals — three clubs pegged as preseason favorites in the National League.

It will serve as a fine barometer as April becomes May.

The Phillies have scored 4.75 runs per game not because one or two hitters have dominated. The top of the lineup has paced them in every win. Entering Thursday's action, the Phillies' No. 1 and 2 hitters combined for a .397 on-base percentage. That ranked second in the majors. The 34 runs scored by the first two batters ranked fourth.

Mackanin opted for Nava and Freddy Galvis, not known for his on-base skills, at the top of his lineup Thursday. Galvis had four hits (two doubles and a home run) in seven career at-bats against Marlins starter Edinson Volquez. So Mackanin played a hunch.

Nava started the first inning with a five-pitch walk. Galvis singled to right. A fielder's choice plus a Marlins error plated Nava.

Galvis, with one out in the third inning, roped a triple to right. He scored on an Odubel Herrera groundout. Those two quick runs supported Jeremy Hellickson for six innings.

"I just tried to do the work for the team," Galvis said. "I tried to get on base, tried to move the runner. Nava, he did a pretty good job today leading off. That's what it's about."

Saunders scored his crucial insurance run on a Stassi double that was officially scored as a triple. Marlins manager Don Mattingly paused the game so his staff could peek at video replays. The throw beat Saunders. But the deft slide succeeded.

Saunders clapped. He made a fist and yelled. Life is good, after 20 games, for these Phillies.