Bryce Harper doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday before J.T. Realmuto was walked intentionally.
Jean Segura took that personally.
He followed with a walk-off single off Tommy Nance, propelling the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory.
After being on the wrong end of a three-game sweep against the host San Francisco Giants, the Phillies (74-61) needed a spark, and they got one. They’ll look to keep momentum going when they host the Marlins again on Wednesday.
“When the game is on the line, I’m built for that kind of moment,” Segura said on a postgame interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I just go up there angry.”
Aside from a solo home run from Edmundo Sosa and a sacrifice fly from Alec Bohm, the Phillies struggled offensively.
Until Segura came through.
The Phillies are in search of their first playoff berth since 2011.
“We have a long way to go,” Segura said. “We have to face a lot of good teams down the stretch.”
Realmuto went 1-for-2 with two walks and made an even bigger impact defensively, throwing out two runners trying to steal second base.
“J.T. has been playing fantastic baseball,” interim manager Rob Thomson said. “At this time, he should be in the MVP conversation. That’s how important he is to our ballclub.”
The Phillies will hand the ball to Bailey Falter (3-3, 4.08 ERA). In Falter’s last start, he allowed five hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Falter is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in four career games (one start) against the Marlins.
He will attempt to keep the Marlins reeling, as Miami currently finds itself on an eight-game losing streak in which it has been outscored 40-11. The Marlins haven’t been able to score more than two runs in a game since Aug. 26.
In Miami’s most recent loss, Brian Anderson had a single, sacrifice fly and two RBIs, and Miguel Rojas continued to play well against the Phillies with two hits. But once again, it wasn’t good enough for a victory.
“I felt like we hit some balls good today,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I can’t say that over the last week.”
The Marlins did receive some good news, though, as Avisail Garcia returned from the injured list. Peyton Burdick was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to make room for the outfielder. Garcia, who had been out since Aug. 2, went 0-for-4 in his first game back.
Jon Berti also came back from a three-game absence stemming from hip soreness to go 1-for-4.
On Wednesday, Trevor Rogers (4-10, 5.57) will look to help Miami get back in the win column. Rogers gave up five hits and one run in six strong innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last start. He had previously been out since July 25 with back spasms.
“It felt awesome,” Rogers said after the last outing. “It’s something I’ve been searching for and working so hard for all year. I was just happy to go out and compete again and not have to think about any mechanical stuff.”
Rogers is 1-4 with a 7.05 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
