The Philadelphia Phillies opened a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins on Monday night with Zack Wheeler on the mound for Philadelphia and Tyler Phillips starting for Miami. First pitch was set for 6:40 p.m. ET, and the matchup arrived at an important point for both clubs.
The Phillies had started the season 9-19 before turning things around, and they entered Monday within 5.5 games of the Atlanta Braves atop the NL East. That keeps Philadelphia in the hunt in a division that sent only the Phillies to the postseason last season.
Wheeler's return to the rotation is a major part of that push. He missed the first month of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, but he was scheduled to start with a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts. That kind of production gives the Phillies a steady front-line option as they try to keep pace in the division.
The Marlins, meanwhile, have gone in the opposite direction. At the All-Star break, they briefly held a Wild Card spot, but after the break they lost 12 consecutive games. That slide has left their playoff chances sharply reduced and has also changed the tone around the trade deadline, especially with bullpen struggles becoming a concern.
Miami's overall offense has also lagged. The Marlins were 23rd in OPS, while Philadelphia was 10th in OPS. The gap reflects how different these teams have looked over the course of the season, even before the recent losing streak made Miami's path much harder.
For the Phillies, this opener is about staying on track and taking advantage of a series against a club trying to stop the bleeding. For the Marlins, it is another chance to get a closer look at where things stand before the trade deadline decisions start to come into sharper focus.
