PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brian Anderson homered on his 28th birthday to back Trevor Rogers, who pitched five-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings and led the Miami Marlins over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Adam Duvall and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also drove in runs for the Marlins, who won for just the second time in five games.
Rogers (6-2) gave up five hits, including Andrew McCutchen’s sixth-inning homer. The 23-year-old rookie left-hander struck out eight and walked two.
“You feel comfortable he’s not going to all of the sudden relax and quit working,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "Some guys you worry they may take their foot of the gas, but you don’t feel that way with Trevor.”
Yimi García finished with two-hit relief for his eighth save in nine chances. Garcia stranded two when Andrew Knapp hit a game-ending flyout to the wall in right-center that was a few feet from winning it for the Phillies.
“You just hold your breath and hope for that ball not to go out,” Miami’s Miguel Rojas said.
Zach Eflin (2-3) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Philadelphia lost for the third time in four games.
Anderson hit a go-ahead home run leading off the second inning, driving a 93 mph sinker.
“Just unacceptable,” Eflin said. “I have to be able to miss off, if I’m going sinker away to guys like that. It just can’t happen.”
Eflin retired 12 of his next 13 batters before Rojas doubled leading off the sixth and scored on Duvall’s one-out single.
After McCutchen’s seventh homer, a drive just inside the left-field foul pole, the Marlins opened the seventh with three singles that loaded the bases off Brandon Kintzler, including Rogers’ first big league hit.
Chisholm greeted Sam Coonrod with a swinging bunt single that scored Garrett Cooper. Phillies manager Joe Girardi argued that Cooper left the baseline when catcher Knapp tried to apply the tag, but to no avail.
“I think he was running out of the baseline to avoid the tag,” Girardi said. “It’s a judgment call that is frustrating at times for all of us.”
100-K
Rogers has 104 strikeouts through 16 big league starts.
“It’s a big milestone,” he said. “I’m blessed to keep competing and fortunate to accomplish that milestone. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches. This is just the beginning. I’m going to continue to keep working and getting better.”
MOUND MEETING
Rojas went to the mound to talk to García after the pitcher surrendered a leadoff double to Jean Segura in the ninth and then went 2-0 on Bryce Harper. The teammates were roommates at Double-A, Rojas said, and he just wanted to get Garcia to refocus.
“I didn’t want him to crumble,” Rojas said. “I wanted to go out there to tell him the runner at second base doesn’t mean anything at that point. We’re behind him to make plays, use us as a defense and just relax.”
DEFENSE
The Phillies entered near the major-league average with 22 errors. In the first, Harper broke back on Duvall’s lazy ball that fell in front of the hard-charging right fielder for a single. The Marlins didn’t score in the frame, but it did force Eflin to throw additional pitches.
Girardi said prior to the game that Philadelphia’s defense needed to improve.
“Giving extra outs is a recipe for disaster,” he said. “The most precious commodity in the game is outs. You don’t want to give any away and don’t want to give any to the other team. Defense shows up when games are close. A lot of times it makes your starter throw more innings, and it magnifies a lot of different things.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: C J.T. Realmuto (left wrist bone bruise) missed his third straight contest. ... SS Didi Gregorius (right elbow), on the 10-day IL since May 14, took some ground balls prior to the game but didn’t throw.
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up the three-game series on Thursday night, with Miami RHP Sandy Alcantara (1-3, 4.06) facing Phillies RHP Vince Velasquez (1-0, 3.68).
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