Volquez strong; Marlins cruise

Back-to-back wins come for first time in a month

MIAMI — Edinson Volquez is as happygo-lucky as any player in the Miami Marlins’ roster, endlessly upbeat and positive even through the team’s and his own runs of poor play.

All sweaty after a routine afternoon stretch with his fellow pitchers? Smiling. Another mediocre outing in another loss? Smiling. Winless in his first nine games as a Marlin? Admittedly frustrated, but smiling and able to crack a joke: “Hopefully I can win one game before the season is over.”

Except for one Sunday morning when, a day after he pitched, he curled up in a fluffy, personalized robe with a magazine on a recliner in the home clubhouse, Volquez has been all smiles from Day 1 of spring training. They don’t call him Steady Eddy for nothing.

With a 4-1 win Monday over the Philadelphia Phillies, Volquez had more reason than ever to smile as a Marlin: six innings, one run, and his first W in a Miami uniform. His inaugural victory was the Marlins’ second in a row, their first time accomplishing that feat since April 22-23.

Volquez worked around two baserunners in the first inning, but settled in to retire 13 Phillies in a row. He found more trouble in the sixth, walking the opposing pitcher to lead off and putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out, but escaped allowing only one run.

Aaron Altherr drove in Philadelphia’s only run, sending a single under the glove of third baseman Derek Dietrich into left field. Tommy Joseph swung and missed on a changeup away for the third out.

Volquez threw 87 pitches (55 strikes) and had first-pitch strikes to 15 of 21 batters — a rate of 71.4 percent, considerably better than his season mark of 53.1 percent.

The Marlins supported Volquez with an

unusually successful night against Phillies righty Jeremy Hellickson, their tormenter since the start of 2016. Miami’s four earned runs in six innings were their most in one game against Hellickson since 2013.

Entering Monday, Hellickson had a 1.94 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in seven games against the Marlins this season and last. On Monday, Hellickson allowed a pair of runs in the third and sixth.

Miami’s first run came when Dee Gordon double inside the right-field line to score J.T. Riddle, who had led off with a single. Giancarlo Stanton then singled up the middle to plate Gordon.

In the sixth, a two-run home run over the rightfield wall from Dietrich brought home J.T. Realmuto, who had kept the inning alive with a twoout single.

Dietrich’s blast came at a particularly critical juncture, with the Phillies having broken through against Volquez to get within one run in the top of the sixth.

Don Mattingly managed as if he was looking for back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month, turning to lefty Jarlin Garcia (one batter) and righty Nick Wittgren (two batters) in the seventh before calling on Kyle Barraclough and A.J. Ramos to finish the game.

BRYAN CEREIJO/TNS Marlins starter Edison Volquez makes a pickoff attempt during his start on Monday night. He earned his first win of the season.