Phillies Defeat Marlins 5-2 in Series Opener
Trea Turner launched a leadoff home run and contributed two singles, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-2 win against the Miami Marlins on Monday night. This victory marked the fifth consecutive win for the Phillies as they kicked off a four-game series.
Max Kepler added to the offensive display with a home run of his own, while Alec Bohm recorded two hits and drove in two runs, showcasing the team's depth at the plate.
Rookie pitcher Mick Abel, making his fourth major league start, delivered an impressive performance, allowing just one run over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander scattered three hits and struck out three batters. Orion Kerkering sealed the game with a flawless ninth inning, earning his first career save.
Kepler broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with a solo shot, sending a slider from Miami's Sandy Alcántara into the right-field seats for his ninth home run of the season.
Turner extended the lead with an RBI single in the seventh, pushing the score to 3-1. However, Miami responded in the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Agustín Ramírez, narrowing the gap.
In the ninth inning, Philadelphia solidified their advantage with Bohm's two-run single, further distancing themselves from the Marlins.
Alcántara, who was awarded the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five batters. This performance allowed him to surpass Josh Johnson for second place on the Marlins' all-time strikeout list with 834.
Turner’s leadoff homer came on just the second pitch of the game, marking his 18th career leadoff home run and his second of the current season.
The Marlins managed to tie the game in the second inning with an RBI single from Connor Norby.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Marlins centerfielder Dane Myers left the game in the third inning after being hit on the left elbow by a fastball from Abel during his second-inning at-bat.
Defensively, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott made a crucial diving catch on a line drive from Xavier Edwards with the bases loaded and two outs, preventing further damage in the second inning.
Notably, the Phillies have scored 56 runs in the first inning this season, ranking second in Major League Baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have tallied 58 runs in that same frame.
Looking ahead, left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo (6-2, 4.23 ERA) is set to start for the Phillies on Tuesday, while the Marlins will counter with right-hander Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.61 ERA).
