PHILADELPHIA — The tying run stood on third base. A left-handed pitcher trotted in from the visiting bullpen. Nick Castellanos waited to hit.
But in another early test for interim manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies stayed with lefty-swinging Didi Gregorius. And wouldn’t you know it, with two out in the eighth inning, Gregorius sliced a game-tying single down the first-base line on the first pitch.
The Phillies walked it off, 3-2, one inning later because this is what they do now. Rhys Hoskins roped a double to the gap in left-center field and ran all the way to first base with his arms raised above his head as Matt Vierling scored from second base with the winning run.
In case you’ve lost track, that’s 10 wins in 11 games for the Phillies, nine out 10 under Thomson since he was installed as the replacement for deposed manager Joe Girardi.
The winning rally began when Vierling dunked a one-out single over shortstop Miguel Rojas’ head against Marlins reliever Anthony Bass. Two batters later, after Vierling stole second and Kyle Schwarber struck out, Hoskins became the latest Phillies hero and got a sports-drink shower on the field during his postgame interview.
The late victory came after a showdown between Aaron Nola and Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara lived up to its billing. The Phillies trailed, 2-1, in the eighth inning when Alcantara walked Hoskins and Bryce Harper. He got J.T. Realmuto to ground into a double play on his 113th pitch of the game.
That’s when the Marlins turned to the bullpen. Left-hander Scott Okert came on, and Thomson stuck with Gregorius, even though he entered the game batting only .235 against lefties compared to .339 against righties.
It worked, like almost everything else Thomson has done since he took over 10 games ago.
Aces up
Neither Nola nor Alcantara figured in the decision. Both dazzled.
For a second start in a row, Nola had everything working. He got 16 swings and misses, at least one with five different pitches. He pounded the strike zone, as usual, and scattered six hits in seven walk-free innings.
Nola didn’t allow a hit until Garrett Cooper’s 45-foot tapper with one out in the fourth inning. He gave up runs on RBI doubles by Rojas, the Phillies killer, in the fifth and seventh inning.
But Alcantara wasn’t any less effective. He was 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA in six starts entering the game, emerging as an early Cy Young Award candidate. And he backed it up, taking a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning.
Alcantara gave up one run on back-to-back-to-back hits in the third inning, including Harper’s RBI double. But his biggest mistake was a leadoff walk in the eighth inning to Hoskins, who scored the tying run.
Challenge declined
The Phillies took a long look at the replay after Jon Berti stole second base in the seventh inning, but decided not to challenge even though it appeared he may have been out.
Two pitches later, Rojas delivered a go-ahead double for the Marlins
Since 2019, Rojas is 62-for-160 (.388) with 14 doubles, two triples, three homers, and 22 RBIs in 26 games against the Phillies.
Century mark
Kyle Schwarber recorded his 100th career double, a smash off the right-field scoreboard to lead off the fifth inning. The Phillies left him stranded at second base.
Schwarber finished with two hits, extending his on-base streak to 17 games and continuing his revival in the leadoff spot. Since he returned to the top of the order on May 28, he has a .391 on-base percentage in 69 plate appearances.
