Eflin shaky, offense quiet in another loss to Marlins

Final Score: Marlins 7, Phillies 1

New season, new lineup, same story. Miami has been a house of horrors for the Philadelphia Phillies in recent years, and that, evidently, has carried into 2022. The Phillies fell to the Marlins on Friday night for the second time in as many games, this one an uncompetitive 7-1 affair. 

The Phillies were all but out of this one pretty much from the jump. Hits from three of the first four Marlins hitters — including two doubles — dug the Phillies into a quick 2-0 hole. Three straight hits — including a two-run triple from Jazz Chisholm Jr. — doubled that lead in the second, far too much for another lifeless Phillies offense to bounce back from.

If the memory of Monday night’s comeback win after trailing 4-0 against the Mets provided some glimmer of hope, the Marlins erased it in the middle innings. Nick Nelson, who had impressed in his Phillies debut with four innings of one-run ball in that comeback, surrendered three runs over two innings, aided by four hits (three for extra bases), three walks and a hit-by-pitch. 

The Phillies’ bats once again sputtered, low-lighted by a hat trick from Bryce Harper and an 0-for-5 night from Kyle Schwarber, whose average now sits below .100. It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets an off night on Saturday against Marlins lefty Trevor Rogers.

As for the bright spots — Rhys Hoskins doubled twice, Garrett Stubbs cranked a long double that would have been his first Major League homer in many parks and Nick Castellanos’ opposite-field solo shot prevented the shutout in the eighth. 

Oppo? pic.twitter.com/F5Uxagwx7I

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) April 16, 2022

Arguably the brightest of them all, though, was Simón Muzziotti, who made two superb defensive plays — nabbing Jesús Aguilar at second on his two-run single in the first and running down a deep fly ball at the warning track in the third — and also picked up his first Major League hit, a 103-mph liner the other way.

Símon Muzziotti with another excellent play in center for the first out of the bottom of the 3rd. https://t.co/OwveqypdEs

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) April 15, 2022

As it pertained to the outcome, it was all for naught. The Phillies will send Ranger Suárez to the mound on Saturday, hoping to end their four-game losing streak and pick up the first of two wins and leave this house of horrors with a split.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Zach Eflin: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 81 pitches

It was quite a forgettable start for Eflin. The righty left too many pitches over the middle of the plate, especially early in counts, and the Marlins jumped all over him, hitting four balls at least 100 mph. Eflin finished his day with 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth, but a brutal first two frames quickly ruined his night.

Pablo López: 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO , 87 pitches

Only one Phillie was able to do any real damage against López, and that was Rhys Hoskins, who smacked two doubles. López mixed and matched quite well and didn’t give the Phillies much to barrel up. Were this not the first week of the season, López likely would’ve gone deeper, and the way things were trending, the results might not have been much different.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

No Phillies starting pitcher has completed five innings since Kyle Gibson’s seven-inning outing in the second game of the season. The last turn through the Phillies’ rotation has not been great:

Phillies starting pitchers in their last starts:

Suárez: 2.2 IP, 3 ER
Wheeler: 4.2 IP, 1 ER
Nola: 3.1 IP, 3 ER
Gibson: 4.2 IP, 4 ER
Eflin: 4.0 IP, 4 ER

Not good enough.

— Nathan Ackerman (@NathanAckerman_) April 16, 2022

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Saturday, April 16 vs. Miami Marlins at loanDepot park
• 6:10 p.m. ET
• TV: MyTeams app and NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com live stream
• Radio: Sportsradio 94 WIP

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