Bullpen coughs up the lead as Phillies drop series opener against surging Marlins

Halfway through the game Friday night, the Phillies had to make a calculation about their pitching.

Cristopher Sánchez had held the Marlins scoreless for five innings in the first of five games in a four-day span that figures to stretch the bullpen. But Sánchez has thrown more innings (129⅔) this season than ever before in his career, and the bullpen was rested after a day off.

What should manager Rob Thomson do? What would you do?

Thomson elected to remove Sánchez, even though the lefty had thrown only 82 pitches in his first start in nine days. And the bullpen — first Seranthony Domínguez, then Matt Strahm — coughed up a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss before 40,190 paying customers at Citizens Bank Park.

“If we had added on [a run] in the bottom of the fifth, then I’d probably have sent [Sánchez] back out,” Thomson said. “Just at [righty-hitting Jake] Burger, that’s Seranthony’s spot right there.”

Domínguez got Burger to ground out but yielded a single to Bryan De La Cruz and a game-tying homer on a hanging two-strike slider to Jesús Sánchez. Strahm recorded the final out of the sixth inning before Jacob Stallings knocked a leadoff homer for the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Other factors contributed to the loss. The Phillies went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight baserunners. They put on the tying and go-ahead runs and got their best hitters to the plate in the seventh inning, but Trea Turner struck out, Bryce Harper walked, and Nick Castellanos — stuck in a 3-for-29 rut — rolled into a rally-crushing fielder’s choice.

Surely, though, the conversation will focus on Thomson’s pitching decisions heading into a crucial stretch in which the Phillies are trying to widen a two-game lead over the Cubs for the top wild-card spot. Instead, the surging Marlins won for the seventh time in eight games and trail the Phillies by 4½ games with 22 to play.

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Domínguez should be among the Phillies’ fresher relievers after missing a month earlier in the season with a strained side muscle. He hasn’t pitched poorly since his return but doesn’t have the same swing-and-miss stuff.

“I think it’s more command of his slider,” Thomson said. “Getting ahead with his fastball and then wiping people out with his slider. That’s where he gets his swing and miss.”

Domínguez actually has been pleased lately with his slider. But he mislocated the pitch on the homer.

“Slider command has been better,” he said. “Just because they hit a home run today doesn’t mean it’s not that good. It’s been way, way better than it was before. It was supposed to go more down. It stayed a little bit up.”

Why not just stick with Sánchez? Especially because he appeared to rediscover his changeup, a pitch that has been central to his breakout season.

The changeup went missing in Sánchez’s last start. But he flung 24 against the Marlins and got eight swings and misses, including strikeouts of De La Cruz on a dirt-diver and lefty-swinging Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Sánchez has a 3.09 ERA in 14 starts since getting called up from triple A in June. The Phillies believe he’s one of their best 12-13 pitchers and can help in the playoffs. So they are watching his innings, now up to 80 in the majors this season.

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“I’m not concerned, but I’m monitoring it,” Thomson said. “I don’t want to put him in harm’s way.”

Sánchez, predictably, said through a team interpreter that his arm feels fine. And although he didn’t quibble with Thomson’s decision, he also said he would’ve had “a lot more” in the tank for the sixth inning.

“I’m ready for whatever they need me,” Sánchez said. “It’s their decision, and I respect their decisions.”

It was a calculation. This time, it didn’t work out.

Turner returned from the paternity list and bashed a hanging slider from Marlins rookie phenom Eury Pérez in his first at-bat to open a 1-0 lead and extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

And thanks to Rhys Hoskins, he grabbed a souvenir for his second son, Tatum Trea.

“Rhys was like, ‘You want that ball?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, probably a good idea,’” Turner said. “Made a little trade for it. Pretty cool moment looking back at it now, but in the moment, I was just happy I put a good swing on the ball.”

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What did Turner have to give up to retrieve the ball?

“Just traded a couple autographs,” Turner said. “I don’t bargain.”

Turner walked, stole second, and scored on Harper’s bloop single to center field. He’s 45-for-119 (.378) with a 1.233 OPS in 29 games.

“I was not worried, but I was glad my timing was still there a little bit,” said Turner, who missed two games. “I didn’t know if the couple days were going to affect me. Got in the cage and [felt] a little weird. When you’re out there between the lines, you react and play.”

Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.55 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday night against veteran righty Johnny Cueto (1-3, 5.54).

Something to watch with Nola: Opponents are batting .211 and slugging .394 against him with the bases empty compared to .284 and .496 with runners on. The slugging percentage rises to .553 with runners in scoring position.