Not the best way to start the All-Star break

    The Phillies took a trip to Miami to finish their last couple of games before the All-Star break. But before they could take that break they made history. 

    Things weren't looking so hot in Marlins Park. Miami was up 3-1 in the ninth inning and the Phillies didn't look anywhere close to winning. But before anyone knew it, J.T. Realmuto was on second, and an Alec Bohm RBI double sent him home. And with two outs Cristian Pache stepped up and slugged the go-ahead homer. Before anybody saw it coming, the Phil's were up 4-3. 

Cristian Pache's ninth inning home run gave the Phillies 4-3 win

   Photo Credit: The San Diego Union-Tribune

     A confident finish by veteran Craig Kimbrel saw the game end 4-3, and it gave the Phillies their 13th win on the road, tied for the most in franchise history. The comeback finish was amazing and the team worked very hard to stave off the Marlins in Miami.

    That being said, they must have been pretty tired because they lost the final two games. 

    Ranger Suarez had a rough game the second time Philly played the Marlins. He tossed four K's, but also three walks, and he gave up three runs and eight hits in a 5-3 Philly loss. Trea Turner hit a homer, but Bryce Harper got his elbow hit on a pitch, and was out for the rest of the game. 

    With Harper out, the Marlins capitalized and won the third game, 7-3. Marlins pitcher Jesús Luzardo threw nine strikeouts. Edmundo Sosa's two run home run was one of the few Phillies highlights of the game. 

    The Phillies' 48-41 record isn't bad at all, but their main competition in the NL East is Miami. Heading into the All-Star weekend the Phillies could have done a lot better. They had the opportunity to reach 50 wins and the sour ending to the series after a beautiful start was a bit disappointing. But, the Phillies are seven games over .500, which is a lot better than a couple months ago, so despite a rocky Miami trip, the Phillies can have some optimism heading forward. 

The above photo was taken from a San Diego Union-Tribune article. Photo taken by (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier). Image used for commentary.