Encouraging takeaways from Marlins' series win

MIAMI -- A disastrous seven-run sixth inning put the Marlins in a precarious position on Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t diminish the team’s drive to keep pushing back.

Jorge Alfaro, who withstood a slap to the face after a potentially hazardous collision at home plate with Jean Segura, crushed a two-run home run that sent a signal that the young squad wasn’t going away against one of the National League East frontrunners. But the blast in the sixth inning wasn’t nearly enough to erase a large deficit and the Phillies prevailed, 13-6, in the series finale at Marlins Park.

• Box score

“That game got away there,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of the Phillies' seven-run sixth inning. “We still had opportunities to get back in it. Guys put a few runs up, and made it interesting there for a minute.”

Miami was going for its second straight three-game sweep against its division rival, after taking all three last weekend at Citizens Bank Park. After taking the first two again this weekend in Miami, the Phillies salvaged the third game.

The Marlins wrapped up the six-game homestand at 2-4, but ultimately claimed a series win over the Phillies.

Here are three takeaways from the series:

Alfaro slapped, slugs back

Alfaro rejoined the roster on Friday after being reinstated from the seven-day injured list for a concussion, just in time to face his former team.

The sixth inning was an eventful one for the 26-year-old catcher. In the top of the frame, Alfaro’s interference call allowed Jake Arrieta to score after the Marlins appeared to have the Phillies' starter hung up following a baserunning mistake. On Bryce Harper’s single, Arrieta was held at third, but Segura also advanced to third from first base, anticipating Arrieta scoring from second. Alfaro ran the ball back toward third, but then tossed to Brian Anderson. Arrieta dashed home, but collided with Alfaro. He was awarded the run on obstruction.

“Today was really tough for my defense,” Alfaro said. “But we just have to keep going forward, and keep playing hard.”

The inning became more tenuous for Alfaro, when he was inadvertently slapped in the face by Segura as he raced home on a wild pitch.

“I'm fine,” Alfaro said. “What can I say? It wasn't a good day for me, and my defense.”

With a gauze in his nose, Alfaro crushed a two-run homer off Arrieta in the bottom of the inning, his 10th of the season, which matched his career high from a year ago with Philadelphia. Per Statcast, the home run went a projected 428 feet with an exit velocity of 114 mph.

“It was bleeding, but I'm fine now,” Alfaro said of his nose. “That's me -- if I start a game, I want to finish it. I know it was a tough day, but I just wanted to fight through that.”

Chen struggles

Philadelphia scored three runs off starter Trevor Richards in five innings. In the sixth, the game got away from the Marlins, with the Phillies sending 10 to the plate, and scoring seven runs, including five (four earned) off Wei-Yin Chen, who didn’t record an out.

The second time around for Chen against the Phillies didn’t go as smoothly as his June 22 outing in Philadelphia, when he tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win. Inheriting a 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning this time, Chen faced five batters, and all five singled and scored. Four of the runs were earned.

The Marlins’ bullpen picked up its share of innings in the homestand, and Chen’s role is long-relief. Sunday was another rough reminder that it’s been a tough year for the veteran left-hander, who is being used in relief after starting his entire career.

“Wei-Yin pitched pretty good against them last week,” Mattingly said. “They really didn't hit anything hard [today]. They all seemed to fall.”

Three of the hits Chen allowed had exit speeds of less than 70 mph -- J.T. Realmuto (69.8 mph), Cesar Herandez (66.8 mph) and Arrieta (60.1 mph).

Anderson heating up

One of the most promising signs of the series was third baseman/right fielder Brian Anderson is starting to heat up. He went 5-for-11 (.455) in the three games, with a home run and four RBIs. On Sunday, Anderson had a double, a run-scoring triple and he scored twice.

Anderson is a big part of the Marlins’ building process, and he has been hitting cleanup lately, while showing the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He hit his 11th home run on Friday, which matches his home run total from 2018, his first full big league season.

For the year, Anderson is 19-for-53 (.358) against the Phillies with four home runs.

“He's swung the bat well against the Phillies all year,” Mattingly said. “That's one of the things you see. You're facing a team and you're hitting good. They know it, and you know it. You walk into it feeling pretty good. They pitch you with a little more respect, and they make more mistakes when they do it.

“He's got a good swing, and he's got a chance to be a really good player.”