Jim Jackson of the Phillies Radio Network noted on this afternoon's post-game show that the Miami Marlins had a scout on hand when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves this afternoon.
It isn't necessarily clear who the scout was watching — or if the scout was watching just one player, though it's fair to think the scout may have been on-hand to watch Jeremy Hellickson pitch for the Phillies. If that was the case, he saw Hellickson throw six innings for the Phillies, allowing just one earned run on four hits.
The Marlins are currently 44-41, which put them six games out of the National League East lead entering the evening. Though it's probably a long shot for the Marins to end up winning the division over both the Washington Nationals and New York Mets, they are very much in the discussion for one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League. That means an addition like Hellickson, should they go down that route, would give them a better back end of the rotation option than either Tom Koehler or Justin Nicolino, which could help them to reach the one game National League playoff.
Hellickson, who can become a free-agent after the 2016 season, has gone 6-6 with a 3.92 ERA in his first season with the Phillies. Over his past four starts, he's pitched 25 innings, scattering 20 hits and surrendering just six earned runs.
