MIAMI -- It's a modest run -- four wins in five games -- and the Miami Marlins are still 21 games under .500. But all the Marlins can do at this point is try to finish strong in what has been a very dismal year.

Third baseman Martin Prado and center fielder Marcell Ozuna were two of the heroes on Thursday night, each hitting two-run homers to lead Miami to a 9-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park.

"One thing that is helping us (lately) is the mentality we are taking to batting practice," Prado said. "In the beginning of the year, there were a lot of things that distracted us."

The Marlins (50-71) are three games ahead of Philadelphia in the battle to avoid last place in the National League East.

Philadelphia (47-74), which fell behind 8-1 but battled back to within two runs on two occasions, has the worst record in baseball.

Marlins left-hander Brad Hand (3-3) allowed four hits, two walks and one run in six innings. He struck out five and has gone 264 straight batters without allowing a home run at home, which is the third-longest active streak in the majors.

Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams (4-9) gave up eight hits, four walks and eight runs in 1 2/3 innings.

"Everything snowballed -- I couldn't throw the ball where I wanted to," Williams said. "It sucks to go out there and have the performance I had while the guys (teammates) were busting their butts to try and come back. I feel terrible about it."

Early on, the Phillies were looking good. Philadelphia loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but got only one run, on first baseman Darin Ruf's sacrifice fly. The Marlins avoided further damage when shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria threw out left fielder Aaron Altherr on a fine fielding play.

"Brad did a nice job in that first inning to limit the damage," Marlins manager Dan Jennings said of Hand, who retired 13 out of 14 batters during one stretch. "He threw some nice sliders. He utilized that pitch very well."

Miami came right back with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first. The Marlins loaded the bases with no outs and then cashed in with a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI groundout and a run-scoring single by Hechavarria, which extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games.

Hechavarria is batting .380 during that streak.

The Marlins added four runs in the second. Prado's homer, his fifth of the season, came on a 91 mph fastball. Ozuna's shot, his sixth of the season, came on an 84 mph breaking pitch.

Hand left the game with an 8-1 lead, but Philadelphia got to Miami's bullpen, scoring six runs in the final three innings. The Phillies scored three times on five hits in the seventh inning against Scott McGough, who was making his major league debut.

Philadelphia added two runs in the eighth against reliever Bryan Morris. Shortstop Freddy Galvis, who had an RBI single in the seventh, blasted a run-scoring triple in the eighth.

Miami extended its lead to 9-6 in the bottom of the eighth when right fielder Ichiro Suzuki tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Prado.

A.J. Ramos gave up a solo home run to pinch hitter Cody Asche in the ninth but did enough to earn his 21st save of the season.

"We got in a hole and tried to dig out," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Our bats went silent for about five innings, (but then we made) a hell of a comeback. We had a good chance to win that game."

NOTES: Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton (fractured left hand) said he will return by Sept. 1. ... With 2B Chase Utley traded to the Dodgers on Wednesday, the Phillies have just $65 million in committed contracts for next year. Philadelphia's payroll was more than $165 million every year since 2011 before this year's sell-off of LHP Cole Hamels, RHP Jonathan Papelbon, CF Ben Revere and Utley. ... 2B Darnell Sweeney, acquired by the Phillies in the Utley deal, made his big-league debut in the fifth, popping out to second base. ... Miami selected the contract of RHP Scott McGough from Triple-A New Orleans and optioned C Tomas Telis to the same club. ... Phillies RHP Jerad Eickhoff, acquired from the Rangers in the Hamels trade, will start Friday against Miami RHP Kendry Flores. It will be Flores' first big-league start and Eickhoff's major league debut. ... After Thursday's game, LHP Cesar Jimenez was designated for assignment by Philadelphia.