Phillies claim 5th straight win behind 4-run frame
MIAMI -- Raucous applause rose from the stands behind the Phillies’ dugout as Johan Rojas dove into first base.
Rojas didn’t need to dive -- the closest Marlin was too far from the bag to tag him out -- but he wasn’t taking any chances; it had been a week and a half since his last base hit (Aug. 25).
With the single, Rojas was the fifth straight Phillie to reach base in a four-run sixth inning, cementing Philadelphia’s 5-2 win over Miami in the series opener on Thursday night at loanDepot park.
The cheers from the Philly faithful who made the trek to South Florida were a constant, including “Let’s go Phillies” chants after Bryson Stott, who had put the Phils on the board with an RBI single in the first inning, kicked off the sixth with a one-out moonshot into the second deck in right field.
While Philadelphia’s offense put on a show, Ranger Suárez delivered five scoreless innings on the mound. Making his third start since returning from the injured list, Suárez was looking to show that his prior start (four runs over four innings vs. the Braves) was more of where he’d been than where he was going.
Turns out, he’s going to shove. Despite all of Suárez’s pitches averaging 1-2 mph slower than usual, that didn’t matter. Suárez was locating his pitches and maneuvering through Miami’s lineup efficiently, getting even more effective as the game progressed. He finished the night with four strikeouts -- three of which came in the third inning -- while allowing three hits and two walks.