Added Thomson: “I just think the stuff was just down a little bit. The command was down a little bit. He’ll get it back. He’s logged a lot of innings. A lot of innings. So, he’ll get it back.”

The defense did not help. First, Suárez was charged with a fielding error on a ground-ball up the first base line in the third inning. Then, Nick Castellanos made a fielding error from right field. A few at-bats later, catcher Rafael Marchán was charged with catchers interference, and in the fifth inning, Alec Bohm made a throwing error from third base.

Trea Turner made a throwing error to Bohm at first base in the ninth.

“The five errors were all kind of weird,” Thomson said. “Ranger makes that play a thousand times. Nick bobbles the ball off the wall, which can happen. The throw from Turner is really a designed throw, it just popped out of Bohm’s glove. They’re all kind of weird. It’s not like five balls went through infielders’ legs or anything like that.”

The Phillies have been abysmal with runners in scoring position of late, and for the first half of Sunday’s game, that trend continued. In the bottom of the first, Castellanos and Kody Clemens singled, and Whit Merrifield was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but David Dahl grounded out.

They got another chance in the bottom of the second. Trea Turner and Bohm singled and Brandon Marsh walked to load the bases, again, with two outs. But Castellanos struck out.

In the later innings, the Phillies began to chip away at Miami’s lead. Castellanos entered Sunday’s game with a .446 OPS with runners in scoring position over the past two weeks, but he finished his day with three RBI. Castellanos drove in Marsh with a hard-hit double to left field in the fifth, reducing the Phillies’ deficit to 6-3.

With the bases loaded in the sixth, Castellanos hit a two-RBI single to left to score Marchán and Bryson Stott. Turner had the go-ahead hit in the seventh. With two outs and runners on second and third, he hit a single to left field that scored Merrifield and Dahl, giving the Phillies a 7-6 lead.

“I took good swings at good pitches today, and nobody caught ‘em,” Castellanos said, “which is always a good thing.”

Gregory Soto — who has not allowed a run since June 9 — retired the Marlins in order in the eighth with two strikeouts. The Phillies put runners on first and third with back-to-back leadoff singles in the eighth, but went down 1-2-3 to end the inning without adding an insurance run.

Jeff Hoffman pitched the ninth. He induced a flyout, and then Jake Burger reached on Turner’s throwing error. Hoffman induced another flyout to Jesús Sánchez and struck out Tim Anderson to win the game.

It was a good note to end on. The Braves lost to the Pirates on Sunday, so the Phillies (55-29) now have an eight-game lead in the National League East. At some point, likely sooner rather than later, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will be back in the lineup, and Thomson will stop fielding those pesky and persistent questions.

Until then, the Phillies will keep grinding.

“We’re going to score runs,” Thomson said. “These guys are capable. I’ve said that. We’ve just got to keep grinding. Maybe we have to create some stuff, too. Hit and run, steal some bases. Marchán gets a big sac bunt down tonight. So, those are the little things you’ve got to do.”

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