De La Cruz, Scott key another clutch Miami comeback

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryan De La Cruz rounded the bases following his go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning hoping to acknowledge the work put in by the Marlins’ relievers during a bullpen game. After some difficulty locating the bullpen, De La Cruz pointed in their direction -- not too far from where the ball landed over the center-field wall.

Closer Tanner Scott then ensured De La Cruz’s heroics held up by recording his first five-out save in the Marlins’ 5-4 comeback victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Miami (74-69) took two of three from Philadelphia (78-64) to win the season series, 7-6, and move a half-game behind the D-backs (75-69) for the final National League Wild Card spot.

“I always say the end is the best,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Confidence. Once you are there, your head is focused on what we're trying to do, getting to the end of the season and trying to pursue that goal of making the playoffs.”

• Games remaining: at MIL (4), vs. ATL (3), vs. NYM (3), vs. MIL (3), at NYM (3), at PIT (3)
• Standings update: The D-backs hold a half-game lead over the Marlins for the third NL Wild Card spot. The Marlins are a game ahead of the Reds (74-71) and Giants (72-70). Miami would hold the first tiebreaker, based on head-to-head matchups, over Arizona (4-2). The Marlins (21-22) are in line to hold the second tiebreaker (intradivisional record) over the Reds (19-27) but not the Giants (21-14).

Trailing 3-0 and hitless entering the seventh, the banged-up Marlins -- playing without reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and All-Stars Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler -- once again showed their season-long resiliency with a game-tying rally. Yuli Gurriel lined a two-run double to knock left-hander Ranger Suárez from the game with one out, and Nick Fortes recorded a two-out RBI single off southpaw Matt Strahm.

In the eighth, Josh Bell reached on a leadoff bloop single and moved to second on Jake Burger’s groundout. Xavier Edwards pinch-ran for Bell, but that didn’t matter as De La Cruz sent righty Seranthony Domínguez’s 97.7 mph sinker to straightaway center for his 19th homer of the season and club-leading RBI No. 73.

When Skip Schumaker took the managerial job, one of his hopes was to get 500 at-bats from De La Cruz. That mission was successful and “proved us right.”

“He's succeeded everywhere he's been,” Schumaker said. “Big hit after big hit, and he's got a low heartbeat, low pulse. And he came through again today.”

The bullpen took care of the rest, as it has done for most of the season. After opener Steven Okert surrendered a two-run homer to Trea Turner in the first, six others combined to give up just two runs and five hits over the final 8 1/3 frames.

Former Phillie David Robertson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to preserve a 3-3 score, while Scott struck out Edmundo Sosa and Kyle Schwarber with a pair of inherited runners in scoring position and a run already across in the eighth. Scott’s 100.2 mph four-seamer to Schwarber was just 0.1 mph slower than his career-high velocity.

“We had to make big pitches and get outs, and fortunately we managed to win another one-run ballgame,” said Robertson, who has three straight scoreless outings since posting an 8.18 ERA in his first 11 appearances with Miami. “Tanner Scott was huge. He's been incredible. I'm glad they put him in the closer role, because he's got exceptional stuff. He seems like he's got the right attitude, and he is throwing strikes, and [the ball] probably looks like a tic tac coming in there.”

Added Schumaker: “He's been incredible for me. If not for [Josh] Hader, probably the best left-handed reliever in the big leagues right now, and that's saying something, because there's a lot of guys out there.”

Scott hit Turner and walked Bryce Harper to open the ninth before Alec Bohm grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and Bryson Stott struck out with the tying run at third. Scott, who led the Marlins with 20 saves in 2022 during his first foray into closing, already has a career-high 92 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. Since August, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 17 2/3 frames spanning 15 outings.

“Got to keep going, that's the biggest thing,” Scott said. “Just keep going day by day, win by win.”