Rafael Marchán makes most of his chance to lead Phillies past Braves, 5-4

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 29, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — Upon getting rained out Wednesday, the Phillies asked their best pitcher if he preferred to start the matinee first game or the nighttime finale of Thursday’s doubleheader.

Zack Wheeler picked the opener, then swiftly reconsidered.

“Is it too late to switch?” he asked.

“You can do whatever you want,” manager Rob Thomson said. “You’re Zack Wheeler.”

Fair enough. But there were ripple effects. For one thing, it meant Rafael Marchán would catch the first game to keep J.T. Realmuto paired with Wheeler.

No big deal there. Marchán will take every opportunity that he gets, especially because he plays so seldom. That’s life as Realmuto’s backup, and it isn’t easy.

Imagine, then, how satisfying it must’ve felt, in only his 11th start, for Marchán to smoke a two-run homer in the third inning and take a two-strike slider off the right foot in the eighth to force in the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

And then, there was this: When Jordan Romano issued a leadoff walk in the ninth inning, Marchán safeguarded the one-run lead by throwing out Ozzie Albies trying to steal second base, one of two base runners that he nabbed in the game.

Marchán also reached base three times in all and helped Cristopher Sánchez to navigate 5 2/3 innings when he didn’t have his sharpest stuff.

The Phillies won for the 11th time in 12 games and hiked their best-in-baseball record to 36-19, a 106-win pace. They also widened the canyon between them and the third-place Braves to 10 1/2 games in the National League East.

Oh, and they had Wheeler lined up to start the nightcap.

But the Phillies had to rally for another series-clinching victory, then walk a two-out tightrope in the ninth because neither Matt Strahm nor Romano was sharp.

The Phillies handed a 4-2 lead to Strahm in the eighth inning after Kyle Schwarber went deep into the second deck in right field for his team-leading 19th homer.

Strahm, among a trio of trusted late-inning arms in the Phillies’ post-José Alvarado bullpen, gave up a solo homer to Sean Murphy and back-to-back doubles to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II to tie the game.

The Phillies regained the lead in the eighth inning on a single, two walks, and Marchán’s hit by pitch. But they also left the bases loaded when Bryson Stott struck out and Trea Turner flew out to right field.

It almost proved costly. Even after Marchán erased a leadoff walk to Albies, Romano walked Marcell Ozuna, gave up a single to Matt Olson and walked Murphy to load the bases before freezing Eli White with a slider to finally seal the victory.