Tyler Phillips had worked his way through the trouble in the first inning after giving up back-to-back homers, and he had a solid rebound over the next two innings. Yet, manager Clayton McCullough pulled him after just 68 pitches in the middle of the fourth with a runner on base. The decision didn’t sit well with Tommy Hutton, as the veteran broadcaster openly questioned the move.

“If he’s not hurt, I don’t understand it. I’ll be perfectly honest,” Hutton said, according to a 31-second clip shared by Underdog MLB on X. “Unless there’s been some talk in between innings, in the dugout, I have no idea.”

Phillips surrendered a home run to Mookie Betts with two outs in the first inning. Max Muncy followed with another one, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were already up 2-0.

In the second, Phillips went into the corner and screamed into a towel.

After that, the Miami Marlins starter went 2.2 innings without allowing a single run. Yet McCullough decided to replace him.

“He could get the next hitter out. No, he’s not going to get that chance, and Cade Gibson’s coming in,” the announcer noted. 

The 28-year-old was pitching timidly after the consecutive homers in the opening frame. That’s why pitching coach Daniel Moskos visited him on the mound in the second inning.

He understood the anxiety Phillips was feeling while pitching against the back-to-back World Series champions. He urged the pitcher to scream and get the negative energy out of his system. 

“I can’t, man. My voice is going to crack,” Phillips had told him.

“I was like, ‘This is going to be embarrassing.’ And he balled up a towel. He handed it to me. He said, ‘Put the towel in your mouth and scream.’ So I went around the corner and just let it out, and then I got back into my positive self-talk.”

Based on how he pitched after that, it’s safe to say that the scream therapy worked.

But when the manager and the pitching coach entered the field in the fourth, it looked like Phillips had hurt himself somehow.

However, when it was clear that there was no injury or discomfort, Hutton simply couldn’t agree with the decision. 

“You are going to have everyone in that bullpen have their arms fall off. Baffles me,” he added further. 

Gibson completed the remainder of the fourth and continued into the fifth, after which four more relievers had to chip in one inning each to wrap up the game.

“Today, for me, that was the best way to win the game,” McCullough said after the 4-3 win on Saturday.

“Certainly Tyler and others on our staff are approaching or have already exceeded limits from an innings standpoint. We’re certainly mindful of that and take things like that into consideration as we continue to roll on here. But today, for me, I felt the best way to go win the game was going to Cade there, and then the guys that follow.”

As the manager’s strategy worked, Tyler Phillips didn’t have a lot of complaints. 

“I’m a competitor. I never want to be taken out. Again, I have so much respect for Clayton. We’ve had conversations, and I just know how we operate, and it’s getting late in the year,” he shared.

“I’ve told you guys time and time again, when he comes out there, I’m going to respect his decision. It’s always going to be, ‘This is what we think we’re going to do to help the team win,’ and that’s where I stand. All I care about is winning.”

Marlins’ workload plan draws questions after Phillips’ early exit

The pitcher started 2026 as a reliever, but injuries to players like Robby Snelling, Janson Junk, and Eury Pérez mid-season earned him a starting role.

He was a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies in his rookie year as well, but his performance wasn’t good enough, so he was traded to the Marlins in 2025. He was mostly throwing from the bullpen last year. So, his workload is significantly higher compared to last year. 

Kelly Saco, TV host and sideline reporter, said that pulling Phillips was pre-planned.

According to another insider, Barry Jackson, Saco pointed to the Marlins’ workload management behind the decision.

He even quoted Hutton, “I can tell you that I’ve pressed McCullough – who I like and respect – several times this year on this quick hook/3rd time through the order topic. This approach is an organizational philosophy, not just McCullough’s approach.”

The broadcaster pointed out that the strategy wasn’t 100% accurate, yet Saturday was one of those days when it bore fruit.

Miami could stop its four-game slide. They are third in the NL East with a 73-76 record, but they are 7.5 games behind the last National League Wild Card spot with just 13 games remaining. 

They are technically not out of the playoff picture yet, but it’s not a cakewalk either.

If a gamble allows the Miami Marlins to beat one of the best teams in MLB this year, they would be happy to live with that. Additionally, Tyler Phillips’ performance (3.55 ERA with 96 strikeouts) would surely come in handy if he remains healthy and they somehow manage to reach October.