MLB Game Preview - Miami at Philadelphia

Sat Sep 28, 2019 6:05 PM EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies had to play deep into the night to keep their hopes alive for a winning season, but the goal is still attainable.

The homestanding Phils beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 in 15 innings on Friday, scoring the walk-off win on a fielding error when the usually sure-handed shortstop Miguel Rojas bobbled a ground ball with the bases loaded and one out.

It allowed Rhys Hoskins to score the winning run in front of a dedicated home crowd, which stayed throughout the 5-hour, 13-minute epic that ended with the team's seventh walk-off win this season.

The 15-inning game matched the Phillies' longest this year, and manager Gabe Kapler owes most of it to his bullpen.

Seven Phillies relievers combined to toss 11 scoreless innings, allowing 10 hits and striking out 10 while not issuing a walk.

The victory gives Philadelphia (80-80) a chance to earn a winning season with two more wins over the Marlins, whose 56-104 mark is the worst in the National League.

The victory also broke the Phillies' six-game losing streak that concluded a 3-8 road trip. Earlier this week, Philadelphia lost five straight to the playoff-bound Washington Nationals.

A winning season would be a big positive for the Phillies, who started out hot but fizzled as the summer came around.

The club was season-high 11 games over .500 at 33-22 after a win on May 29 but has gone 47-58 since then.

Kapler's future with the club may be in jeopardy, and the manager said he hasn't thought about whether he will be back next season.

"It's not something I'm thinking about right now," said Kapler. "It's not something I'm worried about and haven't had any conversations about it."

The two clubs have a quick turnaround on Saturday in the middle game of the final series.

Kapler will hand the ball to Zach Eflin (9-13, 4.16 ERA), who is 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA in his past seven starts.

Eflin is 2-1 with a 4.32 ERA in four starts against the Marlins this season. The righty is 4-2 with a 4.29 ERA in eight career starts against Miami.

His team might not be at full strength, though. Philadelphia shortstop Scott Kingery left Friday's game early with blurred vision

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had knee surgery early on Friday, and the former Marlins catcher was back at the ballpark and surprised Kapler with a visit to the manager's office before the game.

The team announced that starting pitcher Aaron Nola won't pitch over the weekend. Nola (12-7) made a career-high 34 starts this season and last pitched against Washington on Tuesday, taking the loss in a 6-5 game.

Ten Miami relievers allowed just one unearned run in the Friday loss, and the 11 pitchers the Marlins used were the most in franchise history.

"Both teams' bullpens were pretty good," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of getting guys on base. We just couldn't get them in. You've got to get a big hit."

Lefty Caleb Smith (10-10, 4.31 ERA), who will start Saturday, is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two outings against the Phillies this season. In his career against them, Smith is 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA in three starts.

--Field Level Media