The Phillies dropped the final game of their series against the Miami Marlins, losing 5–4 in a game marked by missed opportunities and another disappointing outing from starter Taijuan Walker.

Walker, whose stint in Philadelphia has been underwhelming, struggled early. He allowed all four of his earned runs in a shaky first inning and finished with a line of 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, and just 1 K. Despite settling in after the first, the early damage proved costly.

The Phillies’ offense was quiet until the sixth inning, when Trea Turner launched a solo home run and Brandon Marsh—continuing his hot streak—added an RBI single. Marsh finished 3-for-3 on the day and has emerged as a reliable bat in recent weeks.

Down 4–3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies turned to José Alvarado out of the bullpen. He promptly surrendered a solo shot to Otto López, giving the Marlins some breathing room at 5–3. López had a monster day, going 3-for-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

Philadelphia tried to rally in the ninth. Max Kepler and J.T. Realmuto both drew walks to start the inning. But with two on and nobody out, Bryson Stott and Harrison Bader both failed to capitalize, recording back-to-back outs.

That brought up Kyle Schwarber, mired in a 32 at-bat RBI drought and hitless on the day. But the MVP candidate came through with a clutch RBI single, cutting the deficit to one. With two on and two outs, it was up to Bryce Harper to complete the comeback. Unfortunately for the Phillies, the two-time MVP grounded out to end the game.

The Phillies left eight men on base and squandered several key chances, allowing the Marlins to avoid a sweep.

With the loss, the Phillies now return to Citizens Bank Park to begin a series against their NL East rival, the New York Mets, who sit seven games back in the division standings.