Hellickson blanks Marlins after early cushion

PHILADELPHIA — The Marlins’ Wild Card hopes continue to plummet.

The Phillies made sure of that, scoring five in the first and two more in the second off Marlins starter Jose Urena in an 8-0 win on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, clinching a win for the Phils both in their final set against the Marlins this year and in the season series.

Five games back of the Mets for the second National League Wild Card spot and now two games below .500, the Marlins had a 0.7 percent chance at the postseason entering Saturday, per MLB.com’s projections. The loss officially eliminated them from the NL East race.

Every Phillie batted in the first inning and every position player reached base by the fifth. Four players collected multiple hits on the night, including Cesar Hernandez to extend his on-base streak to 23 games and Tommy Joseph for his 20th home run of the season.

The Philadelphia offense stole the show from Jeremy Hellickson, who tossed a three-hit shutout. Hellickson held Miami to three earned runs or fewer in all six starts this season, improving to 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDJoseph hits his 20th: The Phillies outrighted Joseph off the 40-man roster last October, but he hit well early this year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and got promoted to the Phillies in May. What a season he has had. Joseph blasted his 20th homer in the second inning — a towering two-run shot to center field that handed the Phillies a 7-0 lead. Willie Montanez (30 in 1971), Dick Allen (29 in 1964), Ryan Howard (22 in 2005) and Scott Rolen (21 in 1997) are the only Phillies rookies to hit more home runs in …

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