The Phillies had not fared well in Miami in recent years but reversed that trend

MIAMI — Before the Phillies could seriously consider staring down a decadelong playoff drought, they had to tackle another demon.

They had to win a series in Miami.

So, when interim manager Rob Thomson thinks about the most pivotal points of his 91-game tenure, he usually settles on July 15-17, when the Phillies swept a series in Miami for the first time since 2010.

“Just the whole thing with Miami, that was critical,” Thomson said Wednesday before the Phillies and Marlins continued a three-game series. “To be able to come in here, a place that we hadn’t won a lot, and take care of business, that was important.”

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To say the Phillies “hadn’t won a lot” at Marlins/loanDepot Park is an understatement. South Beach hasn’t been much of a good time over the last few years. From 2018 to 2021, they went 13-22 here, winning only one of 10 series. It didn’t matter if the Marlins were contenders or not. The Phillies had trouble in Miami.

Now, layer this on top of all that: When the Phillies visited the Marlins before the All-Star break, they had lost four consecutive games, their longest skid since Thomson took over for fired manager Joe Girardi on June 3.

To Thomson, it was a critical juncture of the season. The Phillies had played well since the managerial change. But they let two games slip away in St. Louis, then got roughed up in Toronto with a few key players, including catcher J.T. Realmuto, missing because their vaccination status prevented them from traveling to Canada.

But the Phillies rallied in the July 15 opener to beat Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara on back-to-back seventh-inning RBI doubles by Darick Hall and Realmuto. They blew out the Marlins, 10-0, in the second game of the series.

And in the finale, Aaron Nola racked up 10 strikeouts and went 8⅓ innings in a 4-0 victory that sent the Phillies into the All-Star break with a 49-43 record.

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“Going into the All-Star break with a little bit of momentum — although we came out and lost three in a row [to the Chicago Cubs] — was kind of important to me,” Thomson said. “There was a lot of different reasons why that series was big.”

The Phillies stubbed their toe against the Cubs in their first series after the break. Since then, though, they were 30-16 entering Wednesday night, including a 24-4 run against the Marlins, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds, the four worst teams in the National League.

Until last month, Nick Maton had played a grand total of 7⅓ innings in the outfield, all in the minor leagues. But nine of his last 11 starts have been as a fill-in for left fielder Kyle Schwarber or right fielder Nick Castellanos.

“It’s really not that bad,” said Maton, a natural infielder. “Just trying to figure it out. The biggest difference is there’s not as much going on out there. In the infield, you’re always, one step over, one step [back]. But I think I’ve done pretty well out there.”

Thomson concurs. And with Castellanos still dealing with stiffness from a strained oblique muscle in his right side, Maton may be the choice to play right field against right-handed pitching down the stretch.

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Maton’s adjustment to right field, in particular, has been eased by his work with outfield coach Paco Figueroa, who runs drills during batting practice that help with taking good routes to fly balls.

“Nick’s picked up on it pretty well and pretty quick,” Thomson said. “He looks really comfortable. He’s moving around pretty good. He can throw. He’s done the job.”

Hall was 11-for-27 with 10 RBIs in his last seven games for triple-A Lehigh Valley through Tuesday night. The Phillies haven’t recalled him this month because they want him to continue to get at-bats. … With a 57-33 record entering Wednesday night, Thomson was one of three managers to win 57 of 90 games after taking over midway through season. The others: Bud Harrelson (1990 New York Mets) and Billy Hunter (1977 Texas Rangers). … With lefty Kent Emanuel (strained shoulder) bound for the 60-day injured list, the Phillies claimed right-handed reliever Tayler Scott off waivers from San Diego and assigned him to Lehigh Valley. Scott, 30, had a 6.75 ERA in eight appearances for the Padres and a 3.76 mark in 33 triple-A outings. . … Noah Syndergaard (9-9, 4.09 ERA) will start the series finale Thursday night against Marlins right-hander Pablo López (8-10, 4.04).

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