Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Edmundo Sosa launched three home runs and drove in five, Kyle Schwarber added two homers and Jesús Luzardo dominated his former team with 10 strikeouts over seven innings as the Philadelphia Phillies pounded the Miami Marlins 11-1 on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
In a stunning power display before a crowd of 36,816, the Phillies hit seven home runs to erase the sting of an 11-inning loss to the Marlins a day earlier. The victory improved Philadelphia’s record to 93-65, while Miami fell to 77-81.
Sosa became the central figure in the onslaught, delivering the most impactful performance. His solo shot in the fourth inning gave the Phillies a lead they would not relinquish. His most damaging blow came in the fifth, a three-run homer off Miami starter Ryan Weathers that broke the game open. Sosa then capped his historic night in the seventh inning with another solo home run, a drive to left field that was confirmed after a video review.
He was not alone. Schwarber tied the game in the third inning with his 55th home of the season, a solo shot to center field. He later hit his 56th, a leadoff homer in the seventh that sparked a five-run inning. Alec Bohm followed Schwarber’s second homer with one of his own, and Otto Kemp capped the seventh-inning barrage with a two-run homer.
The offensive fireworks provided more than enough support for Luzardo (15-7), who was brilliant against the club that traded him to Philadelphia midseason. The left-hander allowed just three hits and walked none while throwing 71 of his 104 pitches for strikes. He efficiently handled a Miami lineup that managed only a single run in the second inning.
That lone Marlins run came when Connor Norby singled, advanced to second on a throwing error by Bohm and scored on a line-drive single by Eric Wagaman. From that point forward, Luzardo was nearly untouchable, retiring 15 of the final 17 batters he faced.
Weathers (2-2) took the loss for Miami, surrendering six runs, five earned, on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight but was undone by the long ball, yielding homers to Sosa and Bryson Stott before Sosa’s three-run blast in the fifth ended his night.
The game was a stark contrast to the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a high-scoring affair with Miami winning 8-6. Instead, the Phillies’ power and Luzardo’s pitching led to a lopsided result where the total score of 12 easily surpassed the over/under line of 8.5.
The Marlins’ bullpen offered little resistance, with Lake Bachar allowing five runs in the seventh inning. Miami pitchers combined for 48 strikes and 94 balls, struggling to find the zone against a potent Phillies lineup. Philadelphia relievers Tim Mayza and Max Lazar each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the game.
The win gives the Phillies momentum heading into the final series of this four-game set on Thursday before they host the Minnesota Twins for a weekend series to close the regular season. The Marlins, after Thursday’s series finale, will return home to face the New York Mets.