Joey Wendle stroked a go-ahead, two-run double in the fourth inning, helping the Miami Marlins win their home opener, 4-3, over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.
Garrett Cooper slugged a solo homer in the fourth and had a fielding gem in the ninth, and Sandy Alcantara (1-0) was charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings as the Marlins snapped a three-game losing streak.
Alcantara worked around seven hits — including a pair of doubles — and one walk.
Bryce Harper drove in all three runs for the Phillies, who have lost three straight games. Starter Kyle Gibson (1-1) lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, three walks and four runs.
Anthony Bender pitched a scoreless ninth for Miami — getting Harper as the final out — for his second save of the year.
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the first as leadoff batter Kyle Schwarber doubled, advanced on J.T. Realmuto’s single and scored on Harper’s sacrifice fly.
The Phillies got a walk from Rhys Hoskins and a double from Johan Camargo in the fourth. But Alcantara kept the Phillies off the board by getting two straight pop-ups, from Bryson Stott and Matt Vierling.
Miami took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Cooper started the rally by pulling his homer just inside the left-field pole.
Jesus Sanchez followed with a triple. With two outs, Avisail Garcia drew a walk — the first issued by Gibson this year — and Wendle fouled off two straight pitches before flicking a 2-2 cutter to left for his two-run double.
A pair of walks got Gibson in trouble in the fifth, and Miami cashed in as Sanchez lofted an opposite-field RBI single to left, making it 4-1.
The Phillies cut their deficit to 4-3 in the seventh. Vierling was hit by a pitch, ending Alcantara’s night. Reliever Steven Okert walked Realmuto before Harper pulled a two-run double to right. Reliever Anthony Bass got Nick Castellanos on a foul pop for one of the game’s biggest outs.
In the eighth, with a runner on third, Harper saved a run by racing back to catch Jacob Stallings’ deep drive to right.
Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm hit a leadoff single in the ninth, but Schwarber bounced into a double play that ended with Cooper’s short-hop scoop at first. After Realmuto singled, Bender got Harper on a flyout to end the game.
–Field Level Media