Phillies vs. Marlins score: Reigning NL champs finish sweep in grand fashion, set up NLDS showdown vs. Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the NLDS. The reigning National League champions finished off a two-game sweep of the Marlins on Wednesday night as Bryson Stott’s grand slam made it a comfortable 7-1 win. The Phillies will face the Braves in an NLDS rematch starting Saturday.

J.T. Realmuto also homered for the Phillies, who were up 3-0 when Stott blasted a 412-foot shot off Andrew Nardi in the sixth inning. Aaron Nola pitched seven scoreless innings, marking the second year in a row he was on the mound with a strong effort as the Phillies won the Wild Card Series (he pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Cardinals last season).

Now, here are four takeaways from Game 2.

1. Nola was on dealing

Aaron Nola had an uneven regular season. In 32 starts, he amassed a 4.46 ERA (96 ERA+) and a 4.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio. You wouldn’t know it based on how he pitched on Wednesday night. 

Rather, Nola had an outstanding start, doing his part to put away the Marlins. He threw seven shutout frames, surrendering just three hits and a walk. He struck out three batters, and he generated a game-high 10 swinging strikes on 41 swings.

The Phillies’ two starters this series, Nola and Wheeler, combined to allow one run in 13 2/3 innings. That’ll play. The Phillies plan to turn to Ranger Suárez for Game 1 of the NLDS, but Wheeler and Nola should be slated to throw Games 2 and 3 of that series.

2. Stott joins the Flyin’ Hawaiian

As with Game 1, the Phillies received contributions up and down the lineup. Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner opened up the scoring, and J.T. Realmuto later launched the first home run of the series. That would not be the last home run of the series, though.

In the sixth inning, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott broke the game open with a grand slam against reliever Andrew Nardi that gave Philadelphia a seven-run lead and sent Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy. Take a look:

According to Statcast, Stott’s blast had an exit velocity of 102.4 mph and traveled 412 feet. It would have been a home run in 29 of the 30 ballparks.

Stott has never hit a grand slam during the regular season. This marks the second grand slam in Phillies postseason history. Previously, Shane Victorino hit one in 2008. Victorino was happy to have another member join the Phillies Playoff Grand Slam Club.

3. Braves rematch looms

The Phillies will now advance to the NLDS for a rematch of last year’s series against the Atlanta Braves, the overall top seed in the postseason. The Phillies took that best-of-five series in four games en route to winning the NL pennant in 2022. The Braves notched 104 wins in the regular season this year, and went 8-5 against the Phillies. That series will begin play on Saturday in Atlanta. The Braves have opened as -175 favorites.

4. Marlins’ season comes to an end

On the flip side, the Marlins will head into the offseason following an 84-win year that saw them make the playoffs for the first time in a regulation-length season since 2003. The Marlins can only wonder how things might have played out if Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez had been available to pitch in the Wild Card Series.

That isn’t to suggest Game 2 starter Braxton Garrett was to blame for the loss. He did, however, bleed velocity on Wednesday night. Manager Skip Schumaker removed Garrett after the third inning, opting for a bullpen-heavy approach. That didn’t go according to plan (former Phillie David Robertson allowed the homer to Realmuto, the first batter he faced), and now the Marlins will have the winter to rethink their approach.