MIAMI (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton’s amazing August ended with his worst game of the month.
The major league home run leader flied out in the ninth with two on to punctuate an 0-for-5 night, and the Philadelphia Phillies sent the Miami Marlins below .500 by winning 3-2 Thursday.
Stanton failed to get the ball out of the infield in three plate appearances against Ben Lively. Facing Phillies closer Hector Neris, Stanton squandered a chance to put the Marlins ahead.
“He had a ball up in the zone that last inning, but he missed it,” Phils manager Pete Mackanin said. “Every time he comes up I get scared.”
Stanton hit 18 homers in August, tying Rudy York’s 1937 record for the month, and has 51 this season. But he’s 1 for 15 this week.
His young counterpart, Phillies rookie Rhys Hopkins, singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. That’s the longest streak by a Phillies player in the first month of his career since Hall of Famer Chuck Klein had a 13-game streak in 1928.
Neris struck out J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded to end the game for his 17th save. The Marlins went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position, and they are 3 for 36 in those situations this week.
In addition, pinch-hitter Tomas Telis was called out for interference sprinting to first in the eighth, squelching a Marlins rally.
“We had our chances all night,” manager Don Mattingly said. “We’re not getting the hit right now. Just a bad time.”
The Marlins (66-67) lost their fourth game in a row and fell six games behind Colorado in the race for the final NL wild-card spot.
Lively (2-5) won for the first time since his major league debut on June 3. He allowed two runs in six innings and hit a two-run single, increasing his slugging percentage to .412.
“If I swing it hard enough and get hold of it right, good things will happen,” Lively said.
Odrisamer Despaigne (0-2) remained winless since 2015, allowing three hits in four innings.
INTERFERENCE
Trailing 3-2, the Marlins appeared on the verge of a comeback in the eighth when Phils reliever Luis Garcia fielded Telis’ swinging bunt and threw wildly past first, putting runners at second and third. But plate umpire Brian Gorman ruled Telis out for interference because he ran inside the line to first.
“He was running inside the line,” Mattingly said. “You don’t see it very often, but it was the right call. You’ve got to give a guy a place to throw it.”
Garcia retired the next batter to end the inning.
LITTLE LEAGUE TRIPLE
Miami’s Dee Gordon reached third when he kept running after a 40-foot bunt in the fifth. Lively made a wild throw to first, and second baseman Cesar Hernandez retrieved the ball and made an errant throw to second.
Gordon scored on a double by Christian Yelich. The Phils won despite committing three errors.
SMALL CROWD
Miami’s not too excited about Stanton’s pursuit of a home run title. Announced attendance was 17,013.
ROSTER MOVES
The Phillies placed RHP Jerad Eickhoff on the 10-day DL with nerve irritation in his right hand, and claimed RHP Juan Nicasio from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They recalled RHP Ricardo Pinto from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and designated 1B-OF Brock Stassi for assignment.
TRAINERS ROOM
Marlins: 1B Justin Bour (right oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Double-A Jacksonville. He’s unlikely to join the Marlins during their homestand, Mattingly said. … LHP Wei-Yin Chen (arm fatigue) is scheduled to pitch two innings Friday for Single-A Jupiter.
Phillies: OF Aaron Altherr (hamstring) and OF Odubel Herrera (hamstring) began rehab assignments at Double-A Reading.
UP NEXT
Marlins LHP Dillon Peters will be activated from Double-A Jacksonville to make his major league debut Friday against RHP Nick Pivetta (5-9, 6.57). Peters, who missed two months of the season with a broken thumb, will wear No. 76. “That was my spring training number,” he said. “As long as I have a number, I’m OK with it.”
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