MIAMI — A former National League MVP and a former NL Cy Young Award winner both came up big for the Phillies on Friday night.
Andrew McCutchen ignited a five-run rally in the third inning and later clubbed a three-run home run and Jake Arrieta pitched seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Phillies past the lowly Miami Marlins, 9-1.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Phillies, who were held to just three singles in a 15-1 loss to Washington on Wednesday night. The Phils erupted for 14 hits in this one.
The victory improved the Phillies to 8-4. Miami is 3-11.
The keys
• The Phils strung together six straight one-out hits and scored five times in the third inning. McCutchen started it off with a single and aggressively moved to third on a base hit to left by Jean Segura.
MLB
• The Marlins came into the game scoring 2.62 runs per game, 29th in the majors, and hitting a paltry .215. Arrieta did just what a pitcher is supposed to do against a weak-hitting team: He attacked the strike zone. Seventy-six of the 108 pitches he threw were strikes.
• The rebuilding Marlins had the worst record in the NL last season, but they won six of nine against the Phillies in Miami. Friday night’s starter, Sandy Alcantara, pitched seven shutout innings in beating the Phillies in September. Though young, the Marlins have some young talent in their rotation. It was a good sign that the Phils came in and asserted some dominance over the Marlins in the teams’ first meeting of the season.
A milestone
The win was the 100th of Arrieta’s career. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out eight. He had a three-hit shutout going until the seventh.
Sights and sounds
A smattering of fans behind home plate chanted “Overrated … Overrated” each time Bryce Harper came to the plate. Harper answered with singles in his first two at-bats. His hit in the third drove in the Phils’ first run. He just missed a gapper in the sixth. Leftfielder Rosell Herrera made a nice diving catch.
The Marlins ditched the lime green colored outfield walls for navy blue. They also got rid of the gaudy home run sculpture that used to loom over center field.
Plenty of empty seats remain. In fact, a foul ball landed in the upper deck and it will probably still be there when the Phillies return in late June.
Transaction
The Phils sent reliever Edubray Ramos to the minors and recalled reliever Victor Arano. Arano pitched two scoreless innings.
Homecoming
J.T. Realmuto, drafted and developed by the Marlins before being traded to the Phillies in February, returned to Miami for the first time since the deal. He had a pair of singles and an RBI.
The Phillies sent three players to the Marlins for Realmuto.
Jorge Alfaro is the Marlins’ starting catcher in the big leagues.
The Marlins took it slow with right-hander Sixto Sanchez after he missed time with an elbow injury last season. He has been on a throwing program in extended spring training and is scheduled to make his season debut April 26 for Double A Jacksonville.
Lefty Will Stewart is pitching for Single A Jupiter in the Florida State League. He pitched a gem against Lakeland on Friday night — 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, one walk and struck out seven.
Up next
The Phillies and Marlins play again Saturday night. Game time is 6:10.
Zach Eflin looks to continue his strong start. He will pitch against lefty Caleb Smith.
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