Who even cares at this point. The Phillies won their series opener last night vs the Miami Marlins, thanks to a dominant Bryce Harper and a masterclass from Ranger Suarez. The Phillies have officially secured their first winning record since 2011, winning their 82nd game of the year. Even though they are eliminated from the playoffs, I guess we can still watch and take out some positives for the future.

The scoring started in the top of the third inning for the Phils. Odubel Herrera would single in Andrew Knapp to get things rolling, followed by a Bryce Harper RBI double to score Ranger Suarez. Although Bryce Harper won’t be playing in the playoffs this year, he is still fighting for his MVP, and any hits and RBIs could play a factor in the voting at this point.

Didi Gregorious would hit a sacrifice fly to score Odubel in the same inning, and the Phillies would take a 3-0 lead. Bryce Harper would continue his MVP campaign in the top of the 5th, sending a shot into left field to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

Ranger Suarez was dominant. He finished his last start of the season with 7 innings pitched, giving up six hits, allowing zero earned runs, and striking out nine batters. Suarez threw the third-best season in MLB history of pitchers in the live-ball era with 100+ innings pitched, 12+ starts, and an ERA as low as Suarez’s (1.36).

Matt Vierling capped off the scoring of last night’s game, sending a 433-foot blast into left field. Vierling’s homerun would move the score to 5-0, and that score would hold for the rest of the game.

The Phillies won, but it doesn’t matter. Other than solidifying a winning record for the first time in 10 years, the Phillies are just playing for fun at this point. They would win their series opener vs Miami last night by a final score of 5-0, moving their overall record to 82-78. Hans Crouse (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will take the hill tonight at 6:10 in the second game of the final series of the season.

Go Phillies, I guess. Bryce Harper is the MVP.

Mandatory Credit: Phillies