Phillies, led by J.T. Realmuto, power through rain delays and Marlins in 4-1 win

Bryce Harper broke his left thumb in the fourth inning of a June 25 game in San Diego.

One inning later, J.T. Realmuto homered.

There wasn’t anything notable about it at the time, except that it was only Realmuto’s second home run in a 25-game span. It’s clear now that it marked the start of something — a six-week surge in which the star catcher has rediscovered his swing, reemerged as a middle-of-the-order monster, and carried the hottest team in baseball to a hard-to-believe 23-13 record sans Harper.

Realmuto powered the Phillies to another victory — their 11th in 12 games — Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. With his RBI double in the first inning and leadoff homer in the fourth, they pushed past the Miami Marlins, 4-1, between the raindrops (also, 32- and 28-minute delays) and moved to 13 games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 18, 2018.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper likely to return as strictly a designated hitter

“We’re playing well,” said Zack Wheeler, who overcame rare control problems to get through six innings. “Doing all the things right fundamentally. Hitting, pitching, bullpen, starters, everybody’s playing well.”

But it was Realmuto, once again, who delivered the biggest hits and at the most opportune times, repeating a theme that has become common around here lately.

For the third straight game, Realmuto recorded multiple extra-base hits, including a home run. He’s only the fifth catcher since 1901 to go on such a streak, joining Tom Murphy in 2019, Gary Sánchez in 2016, Lance Parrish in 1978, and Randy Hundley in 1966.

But Realmuto has been scorching hot for longer than a handful of games. Coincidentally or not, the pivot point in his season may well be traced to the 97 mph fastball that fractured Harper’s thumb.

When Harper got hit, Realmuto was slashing .236/.315/.363, well below his career mark of .274/.331/.452. He had two extra-base hits in his last 64 at-bats and a total of four home runs in 233 at-bats. Three months after turning 31, in the second year of a $115.5 million contract, it was nearly time to begin wondering if the Phillies would regret giving a five-year contract to a catcher on the wrong side of 30.

But since then, beginning with his homer into the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field at Petco Park in San Diego and including his homer against Marlins starter Braxton Garrett, Realmuto is slashing .347/.404/.703 with nine homers in 101 at-bats.

And just like that, those #BCIB — “Best Catcher In Baseball” — boasts from the Phillies’ social media accounts seem to be justifiable once again.

“He’s had the track record,” Kyle Schwarber said. “You look at the back of the baseball card and see the production and what he’s capable of doing.”

» READ MORE: ‘Unreal’ double feature: Mick Abel and Andrew Painter offer glimpse of what could be for Phillies

Realmuto’s double gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead one batter after a Marlins gaffe kept the inning going. Alec Bohm hit a fly ball to right field that appeared to be the third out, but Bryan De La Cruz ran into backpedaling second baseman Joey Wendle.

With the homer, which came on a two-strike fastball from Garrett, Realmuto broke a 1-1 tie.

“I always thought it was going to come back,” Thomson said of Realmuto’s bat. “He’s so athletic, and he’s so strong, and he’s in such great shape that, yeah, it’s going to be a long time before that goes away.”

Realmuto has been behind the plate for nearly 60 more innings than any other catcher in the majors. The Phillies want him in the lineup as much as possible. But Thomson noted that Realmuto may be benefiting from additional rest. For instance, he didn’t play Sunday before the Phillies’ off-day Monday.

Down the stretch, Thomson said he will be vigilant about getting the catcher extra rest.

“Five days in a row is probably the max that I’d play him,” Thomson said. “But it’s all based on how he’s feeling, too, and what we’re seeing.”

What the Phillies are seeing is a Realmuto revival.

“Even earlier this year when he was struggling a little bit, it was nice to have him behind the plate,” Wheeler said. “He calls an awesome game. I rarely have to shake [him off], and I rely a lot on him. He’s the best in the game for a reason.

“But when he gets that bat going, he’s just on a different level.”

» READ MORE: How Rob Thomson’s unconventional strategy has helped turn around the Phillies’ bullpen

The Marlins put runners on base in every inning against Wheeler. But other than JJ Bleday’s leadoff homer in the fourth, he held them off the board.

“It was tough. It was a grind,” Wheeler said. “I felt like when I executed a pitch, everything went right. When I didn’t, I didn’t know where the ball was going. I was happy to get out of there with what I did.”

Jean Segura stretched the lead to 3-1 with a line-drive homer to left field in the fourth inning.

In four games since returning from a 54-game absence because of a broken right index finger, Segura is 5-for-13 (.385).