Phillies fumble chance to sweep Marlins as Orion Kerkering gives up late three-run homer

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 20, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — With a two-run lead in the eighth inning Sunday against a team that’s probably going to lose 100 games, it felt like a safe thing for the Phillies to think about, if not say aloud.

Bring on the Mets.

Uh, not so fast.

Because reliever Orion Kerkering coughed up the lead by allowing a three-run homer. And although the Phillies tied the game with a considerable assist to the Marlins defense, they left the winning run in scoring position in the ninth inning and fell in the 10th, 7-5, on Easter at Citizens Bank Park.

So, instead of pulling into New York on the high of a three-game sweep of the Marlins, they will arrive amid the sting of dropping a game they should’ve won.

And now, 194 days (who’s counting?) after a postseason vanquishing by the Mets in the divisional round last October, the Phillies will return to Citi Field to renew a rivalry that figures to be as hot as ever.

But first, about that loss.

Four outs from a victory, Kerkering fumbled a 4-2 lead by allowing Javier Sonoja’s first major league homer, a three-run shot to left field.

The Phillies tied it in the eighth, when pinch-hitting Cal Stevenson beat out a hit on a grounder that was bobbled by second baseman Otto Lopez, scoring Nick Castellanos. But Kyle Schwarber and Castellanos popped out with the winning run on second base in the ninth.

And in the 10th inning against lefty reliever Matt Strahm, the Marlins moved the go-ahead run to third on a bunt hit by Dane Myers and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Stowers, then tacked on a run on Sanoja’s RBI single.

After the annual pregame skit to mark the Phanatic’s birthday (first appearance at an April 25, 1978, game at Veterans Stadium), the Phillies jumped to a 3-0 lead.

It started with a bunt single and stolen base by leadoff-hitting Bryson Stott. After Trea Turner singled, Bryce Harper drove them both in with a gap-splitting double and scored two batters later on Castellanos’ single.

The bottom of the order tacked on a run against Marlins starter Connor Gillispie in the fourth inning. Alec Bohm lined a one-out double and scored on back-to-back singles by Johan Rojas and Rafael Marchán.

And with that, it seemed safe to focus on the Mets.

Not so fast.

Jesús Luzardo allowed two hits and a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an unearned run when Stott flubbed a backhand play up the middle in the seventh. But Luzardo mostly cruised, completing seven innings in 88 pitches and leaving with a 4-2 lead.

Kerkering got in trouble five pitches into the eighth. He gave up a first-pitch single to Connor Norby and fell behind Otto Lopez before allowing a single. And after retiring the next two hitters, he hung a sweeper to Sanoja, who crushed a go-ahead three-run shot to left field.

The Phillies rallied to tie it in the eighth. Castellanos worked a one-out walk, and Max Kepler got hit by a pitch. With two out, Stevenson hit for Rojas and rolled a grounder up the middle. But Lopez bobbled the ball, enabling Stevenson to beat his throw to first, and Castellanos to score from third.