Rafael Marchan crushed his first home run of the season to put the Phillies in front against the Braves in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Thursday afternoon.
Rafael Marchan shined Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Phillies’ split doubleheader with the Braves.
The backup catcher was a central figure in the Phils’ dramatic 5-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning hit by pitch.
Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and pitched 5 and 2/3 innings. His final line was seven hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts.
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Sanchez walked two Braves in the second inning and threw balls on 14 of his first 27 pitches. His sinker, slider and changeup all induced regular whiffs in the early innings, though.
In contrast to Sanchez, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shawver began the day with 18 of 20 strikes. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup then broke through.
Brandon Marsh managed a seven-pitch walk. Marchan ripped a hanging curveball just over the right-field wall and on the good side of the foul pole to put the Phillies up 2-0. The home run was Marchan’s first of the season and his first hit of any kind since May 14.
Smith-Shawver soon headed back to the Braves’ dugout. Bryson Stott rocketed a liner that struck Smith-Shawver’s lower leg on its way to center field. The righty came out of the game following Trea Turner’s fly out to deep left.
MLB
Atlanta placed Smith-Shawver on the 15-day injured list with a strained right elbow postgame.
The Phillies were inches away from a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. After one-out singles by Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos against Braves reliever Scott Blewett, Michael Harris II robbed Max Kepler of a three-run homer, reaching over the center-field fence and nabbing his 403-foot fly ball.
Marchan registered another highlight in the fourth when he nailed Stuart Fairchild trying to steal second base. He also tallied the Phillies’ third run, working a fifth-inning walk and coming around to score on a Turner infield hit.
“Really impressed,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Marchan. “I’ve been saying all along this kid is really a player. There’s not many numbers there, but he’s really given us good at-bats.
“He understands the strike zone. He’s very disciplined. He can really throw, obviously. Calls a great game; he was coming off two shutouts. … He does a great job. It’s just a huge day for him.”
Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy singles in the sixth inning produced Atlanta’s first run of the series. Sanchez’s outing ended with two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered and Ronald Acuna Jr. lined an RBI hit over Turner’s head, trimming the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
With assistance from a leaping Turner snag, Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh. The Phillies got a little cushion in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a mammoth Kyle Schwarber dinger. Acuna didn't move in right field for Schwarber's 19th homer, which easily landed in the second deck and officially traveled 438 feet.
The Phillies' advantage went down the drain in the eighth inning. Murphy crushed a solo shot vs. Matt Strahm and two-out doubles by Acuna and Harris evened the contest at 4-4.
Castellanos cracked his fourth hit of the afternoon on the first Daysbel Hernandez pitch the Phillies saw in the eighth inning. They then exploited Hernandez's wildness to regain the advantage.
Kepler walked, Edmundo Sosa executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Marsh walked to load the bases.That set the stage for Marchan, who trotted to first base after apparently being nicked on the foot by a 2-2 slider. Following a Braves challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jordan Romano conceded a leadoff walk to Ozzie Albies, but Marchan rifled a beautiful throw to second base for his second caught stealing of the day.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Marchan said of the moment. “You feel like a kid when you do something good. You’re really excited, you’re really hype. A lot of emotion.”
The Braves then filled the bases with walks by Marcell Ozuna and Murphy and an Olson single. Romano ultimately sealed the deal, striking out Eli White looking.
Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chris Sale (2-3, 3.36 ERA) will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. Wheeler preferred the nightcap, according to Thomson.
“He just called me back,” Thomson said, “and he said, ‘Hey, is it too late to switch? I’d like to pitch the night game.’ “I said, ‘Yeah, whatever you want. You’re Zack Wheeler.’”
Bohm manned first base in the afternoon instead of Bryce Harper (right elbow contusion). Harper remained out of the Phillies' Game 2 lineup.
