MIAMI — The Marlins completed a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks with their second consecutive shutout Thursday, extending a scoreless streak to 19 consecutive frames and capping a June surge that has produced MLB’s best record this month at eight wins in nine games.
Miami (34-35) sits one game below .500 for the first time since April 29, when the club held a 15-16 record. The 19-inning scoreless run is the longest by Marlins pitching since a 22-inning stretch from July 28 to Aug. 1, 2025.
“We’re playing a much cleaner brand, pitching at a much higher level, and I think we’ll continue to get better,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “We cut down the walks as a group, and I think we’ll see more and more days and stretches like this, because of the talent we have.”
The turnaround on the mound has been dramatic. From March 27 through May 31, Miami’s starting staff posted the second-highest ERA in the Majors at 4.89, tied for the 12th-highest WHIP (1.33) and compiled the 10th-highest average against (.253). By Thursday’s final out, the makeshift rotation was tied with the Dodgers for first in ERA (2.09), ranked second in WHIP (0.91) and batting average against (.195), and third in BB/9 (2.09).
“That wasn’t a great three days from a performance standpoint, and certainly some of the injuries that we took on, but I think our guys just rallied around that, and again, it’s next man up,” McCullough said. “This is certainly the best stretch we’ve played consecutively this season, and comes at a good time. Hopefully, we can just continue to play well and give ourselves some cracks in games.”
Starter Phillips did not allow a hit until Ketel Marte’s leadoff double in the fourth. McCullough pulled Phillips after Jorge Barrosa’s leadoff single in the sixth, and reliever Michael Petersen kept Arizona off the scoreboard. Anthony Bender stranded runners on the corners in the seventh, Calvin Faucher pitched a perfect eighth and closer Pete Fairbanks pitched a perfect ninth. Ryan Gusto, who gave up three runs in each of his first two outings since being recalled, had provided four scoreless frames in Wednesday’s shutout.
“I thought Mac did a good job of maneuvering the bullpen,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Their starting pitching was a little bit unknown the past two days. I didn’t know a lot about the guys, other than what I’ve seen from the data. [Max] Meyer on the first day had great stuff, but I thought they mix and match really well. They shut us down, totally shut us down. So they deserve some credit.”
Phillips, who changed his pregame routine by jogging from the dugout rather than running from the bullpen, credited a team-wide shift in approach. “We’ve made a goal to win four games a week, and I think a lot of us have taken that really personally, and really like a lot to heart,” Phillips said. “The pitching staff coming in and just attacking, man. Early in the year, we didn’t do it, and I think now we’re really taking that to heart.”
Ace Sandy Alcantara will start Friday coming off back-to-back seven-inning starts, while All-Star hopeful Max Meyer will duel reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes on Sunday, with another opener sandwiched between — the club’s fourth since June began.