Phillies quietly win Marlins series with another successful piggyback game originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Sometimes half the battle is just battling.
That was never truer than for Phillies starter Walker Buehler Thursday against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Ban Park. The veteran right hander made his second start of the season for the Phillies and seemed to be immediately struggling on the sticky evening. He still managed his way through five tough innings and picked up the win as the Phillies disposed of the Marlins, 1-0.
Buehler walked two in the first inning and threw just seven of his 19 pitches for strikes. He was aided, however, when catcher J.T. Realmuto caught Jakob Marsee trying to steal second and was able to work his way out of the inning. The beginning of a true workman-like performance.
“Obviously not super explosive in terms of what’s coming out of my hand,” said Buehler, who now has given up just one earned run in 13 innings with the Phillies. “I can make pitches and really good defense on the inside. We made some plays when we had to, I made some pitches when I had to. Kind of is what it is but kind of good workday for me.”
The Phillies scored the first run of the game in the first when Harrison Bader led off with a single, went to third on a Bryce Harper single and scored when Alec Bohm grounded out weakly to shortstop.
The Marlins loaded the bases in the third inning, but Buehler was able to coax Liam Hicks into a popout to second baseman Bryson Stott. Buehler finished his night after five innings and allowed three hits, three walks and struck out two. After that first inning, he threw 37 of his 55 pitches for strikes.
“I think the way I’ve always thought about the game was when you’re not good you should still be able to be good,” Buehler said. “But, given the last two years it’s a little bit harder for me to deal with. I think in some way, like tonight is a huge step forward and something that I can build off of. Any major league team can kill you and take you out of a game, but to be able to make some pitches in big spots was huge for me. Especially with the changeup. That’s my sixth pitch and something I’ve never really been good at. Just makes me feel like I’m in a pretty good spot physically in terms of where I’m moving and how consistent my hand is in being out front and being able to be a little bit creative with my wrist and my hand, I think, is the biggest thing for me.”
It was big for the Phillies on a night where they could only manage seven hits.
Phillies starters have gone three consecutive games without giving up an earned run as Christopher Sanchez, Jesús Luzardo and Buehler combined to pitch 19 innings and allowed nine hits, four walks and 18 strikeouts.
Taijuan Walker replaced Buehler in the sixth, as was manager Rob Thomson’s plan, and allowed the first two hitters he faced to reach base on a walk and single. But he followed that by getting a weak fly ball and two strikeouts to put away any Miami threat before retiring them again in the seventh.
“His velo was up, he touched 94 today,” said Thomson of Walker. “The split was good so it kind of notches up with the velocity. If that velocity just a little bit goes up, he’s really affective.”
Matt Strahm came for a perfect eighth before a rain delay of about two minutes ensued when the umpires asked to have home plate and the pitchers’ mound covered. Strahm got out of the inning and the Phillies got a runner on in the bottom of the eighth with one out before the crew called on the tarp again.
After a one hour and one minute delay, where it even rained sometimes, the remaining fans weren’t even treated to a Jhoan Duran entrance. David Robertson came on in the ninth to pick up the save and give the Phillies another series win, their record-tying 34th of the season, tying the 2011 team. Duran was up before the bigger rain delay and Thomson decided not to use his closer after he had already worked up a sweat.
“I thought his changeup, his cutter was affective,” said Thomson of his starting pitcher. “First inning had trouble finding the strike zone a little bit, but he worked out of it and that’s kind of who he is. He just keeps battling and competing and gives us five shutout innings. He was good. And Taijuan was good. Three strikeouts from Taijuan, that was encouraging to me. He was missing some bats. His split was really good.”
Just where Buehler will wind up in Thomson’s pitching plans for the playoffs is only known right now by the manager. But that doesn’t concern Buehler, who went out to the bullpen for some more work after he was pulled from the game.
“Every pitch in the playoffs is a little bit more,” he said. “If you throw 100 during the regular season, then you’re ready to throw 75 or 80 in the playoffs. I’ve always tried to find some athleticism in my throw when I’ve been good throughout September and build up to the point that fatigue wise, I feel like I can throw 85 pitches as much as I can. I did that last year. Not the buildup but kind of got myself to the point that I felt volume wise I could throw that much. I just think everything in the playoffs is intensified.
“I’m here to win a world title, whatever kind of piece I can be in that, from a starting pitcher to a cheerleader, I really don’t care. I haven’t been here very long, but I’ve really enjoyed this team and the next time we celebrate I want to feel like I was a part of it and so whatever they ask me to do.”
Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia
