Phillips Credits Mack for Recent Success As Marlins Starter

Tyler Phillips had a scoreless outing against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Yet he still helped the Miami Marlins extend their winning streak to 2-0.

Phillips allowed four hits and two walks over five scoreless innings as the Marlins improved to 51-42. The right-hander said one lesson from recent outings has been trusting the defense and the catcher behind the plate instead of trying to be too precise when runners reach base.

"The one thing that I need to remember is I have a really good catcher behind the plate who has been throwing guys out left and right," Phillips said. "I don't have to be so technical below the zone. Everything I throw moves. Just throw it over the plate and challenge hitters to do something."

However, Phillips leaned heavily on his sinker, which he called his best pitch, to generate weak contact and let Miami's defense work behind him.

Phillips said all of his pitches felt sharp, and staying in the strike zone allowed him to settle into the outing after bouncing back from a difficult start in West Sacramento, where he surrendered five runs before exiting in the fourth inning.

He also praised the preparation of Miami's catcher, saying the relationship they built during offseason bullpen sessions has translated into trust during games.

"He's always asking me after bullpens and after every pitch, 'Was that a good setup?'" Phillips said. "I appreciate guys who are looking to get better every single pitch, every single game. I know that I can put a lot of trust in him."

The Marlins backed up Phillips with an early offensive outburst. Kyle Stowers opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning. It was his fourth homer in as many games. Xavier Edwards added a two-out RBI triple in the third to score Otto Lopez for the Marlins' second run.

The bullpen preserved the lead the rest of the way. Cade Gibson retired all six batters he faced across two scoreless innings before Michael Petersen threw a perfect eighth. Pete Fairbanks closed the game for his 13th save as Miami recorded its eighth shutout of the season.

The Marlins have now won five straight games and improved to an MLB-best 25-8 since June 1. They are also 15-2 over their past 17 home games and have secured six consecutive home series.

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