The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off their toughest weekend of the season, as they lost five of seven to the Miami Marlins and lost several key players to injury in the process.
After winning 10 of 11, the Phillies have gone 4-8 in their last 12 games and now sit at 23-23 on the season. They have just 14 games remaining on the season, and sit one-and-a-half games ahead of the ninth place Cincinnati Reds for a playoff spot and currently sit in the seventh seed.
The Phillies won five of their first seven against the Marlins in 2019. Since then, however, they have been thoroughly dominated by their division rivals. While this appeared to be a potential fluke in 2019, it has continued into this season versus a Marlins team that is contending for a playoff spot.
Here are three numbers to remember regarding the Phillies inability to beat the Marlins:
Four – Leads Of 3+ Runs Blown To Marlins Since Last June
In 2020, the Phillies have struggled to hold leads against every team. They have blown five leads of three plus runs in 2020, and have lost 11 games in which they led by two plus runs.
These problems have been especially present against the Marlins. Last season, the most notable instance of this occurred when the Phillies held a seven-run lead in the third inning. Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez proceeded to allow seven runs in the bottom of the third, and the Phillies eventually lost 19-11.
The third game of the 2020 season went a similar way. The Phillies took a four-run lead in the first inning, and Velasquez allowed four in the top of the second. The Phillies eventually lost, 11-6.
In the first game of this series, the Phillies entered the bottom of the eighth inning up 6-3. But after Tommy Hunter loaded the bases, Brandon Workman gave up a three-run, game-tying double to Starling Marte. The Marlins won on a Jorge Alfaro walk-off base hit in the bottom of the ninth to complete the comeback.
0 – Run Differential Against Marlins In 2020
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the Phillies struggles against the Marlins is how rarely they win close games against them. They are 0-5 against them in games separated by four or less runs.
Sometimes, like in Thursdays game, this has been the fault of the pitching staff. On Sunday and Monday, however, it came down to the lineup being unable to score runs:
The Phillies have scored three or fewer runs against the Marlins 11 times since 2019. They are 1-11 in those games, and that lone win came on April 14.
The Phillies problems against the Marlins have not just come from one aspect of the roster. They have gotten blown out in games in which they led, and they have lost close games in which they failed to score.
.318 – Winning Percentage Against Marlins Since Last June
The Phillies have played seven series against the Marlins in this span. They have lost six of them, and the only one they won came at the end of last September, when they took two of three in a series that did not matter, as both teams had already been eliminated for the playoffs.
In total, the Phillies are 7-15 against the Marlins since last June. In 2020, they have gone 3-7 against them, and find themselves one-and-a-half games behind Miami for second place in the NL East.
The Phillies have played extremely well against the rest of the NL East, going 16-7 against them. But their struggles against the Marlins leave them with a chance to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
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