The Marlins are through "The Gauntlet" of their schedule as they wrapped up a 9-game stretch against the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers, coming out 4-5. They had a chance in a couple of games but ultimately let them get away. The team couldn't bring in the clutch runs when needed most, and that has been a storyline all season for this ball club in their losses.
It does not discredit the much improved season from the Marlins in their first season with Skip Schumaker, sitting at 64-61, third in the NL East, 1.0 GB from the Cubs for the third NL Wild Card Spot, 1.5 GB from the Giants for the second, 3.5 GB from Philadelphia for the first spot, but also are in a three way tie with the Reds and Arizona.
I was of the belief that if the Marlins could get out of this stretch 5-4, they would be in a good position to still fight for a spot, even going 4-5 they are still alive and well in the race. The main thing going forward is offensive production in earlier innings and clutch situations. Miami did a great job in the first half of the season when it came down to coming back from deficits, still overall in first place in 9th inning comebacks with 8, T-9th overall with 31 total comebacks, it is obvious they can do that but when it gets later into the season, playoff-caliber plays need to be made.
A team cannot continuously rely on trying to come from behind to win games. It has been shown historically that it is not a recipe for success in the playoffs or if you are trying to make it there. The offense has started games off where they score first, they show potential of generating early runs but what has become inconsistent is the team in the later innings during their 9-game stretch.
Here is the breakdown of their scoring in each game:
Games Innings 1-3 4-6 7-9
G1 vs NYY 2 2 0
G2 vs NYY 2 1 0
G3 vs NYY 1 1 6
G1 vs HOU 2 0 3
G2 vs HOU 3 2 0
G3 vs HOU 2 3 0
G1 vs LAD 7 4 0
G2 vs LAD 0 1 0
G3 vs LAD 1 0 0
To be fair, the Marlins were 2-0 in the games they were able to score in the 7-9 innings, but overall the team has been in some cases reliable to generate runs in the later innings to comeback, but it was inconsistent through this stretch. As the season heads to the point where everything matters, keep an eye on at-bat approaches. They have to be focused, build consistency, continue to get on base, and help your pitchers with run support.
Yankees Series
Miami's host of New York starting off with a beating as the Yankees scored 9 runs and finished the game off early, scoring 7 runs in the first 4 innings. Jesus Luzardo struggled in the loss after allowing those seven earned runs on 3.1 IP, allowing 9 hits, one walk, and two strikeouts on 73 pitches. Finding the strike zone hasn't been a problem for Jesus. His problem is finishing innings, not hanging pitches, and staying controlled with his command. He's going through a rough stretch but he has been one of Miami's better starters all year, the club is confident he can bounce back just as much as he is. The second game was a treat if you love a good pitchers game. Sandy Alcantara completed a league-leading third game of the year and allowed 5 hits, one earned run, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts on 116 pitches at a 66% strike rate. Game 3 was a thriller! The Marlins came back from a five run deficit in the 9th inning, earning the series win over the Yankees. Jake Burger hit the walk off RBI-single. As highlighted earlier, it was with another amazing comeback win.
Astros Series
The Marlins welcomed the Astros and things started off well after a good performance from Braxton Garrett with 5.0 innings pitched. Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez, and Josh Bell went back-to-back-to-back home runs and the Marlins allowed one earned run to the high powered offense of the Astros. In Game 2, Miami was able to take a 5-4 lead after five innings, but failed to score runs after that. The Astros went on to hit home runs in the 6th and 7th innings to give Houston a come from behind victory to tie the series. The third game was shaping out to be another good game as the Marlins were down 6-5 after five innings, but then the 7th inning came and everything took a turn for the worse. Andrew Nardi allowed two runners on with one out and Skip Schumaker made the call to bring in Jorge Lopez. Jorge allowed a walk to get the bases loaded and the Astros took off, going on to win the game12-5. Miami loses the series 1-2.
Dodgers Series
The Marlins headed to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers and started the series off with an offensive outburst. They scored 11 runs in a game that belonged to Jazz Chisholm as he went 2-4, scoring two runs, hitting one home run, with three RBI, one walk, and had an outfield assist after almost making a spectacular diving catch. Sandy Alcantara gave up three home runs but still earned the win with the great run support. The Marlins went on to win 11-3.
Due to weather conditions, the MLB made teams in the Southern California play a doubleheader on Saturday. The Marlins took back to back 3-1 losses, but one hurt a little more than the other. Not because the Dodgers earned the series win, but mainly because Eury Perez had an elite performance. One that has not been seen since Felix Hernandez in 2005. Perez was outstanding in 6.0 IP, allowed two hits and having 10 strikeouts on 90 pitches and a 67% strike rate.
David Robertson came into the 8th inning and allowed four hits, three earned runs, and walked two batters. His fourth blown save and his fourth loss as well. A tough one to take in, but the team will look to bounce back against their upcoming opponents.
MVP's of the Stretch
Sandy Alcantara: 15.0 IP / 12 H / 4 ER / 3 BB / 16 K on a 71% strike rate
Jake Burger: .486 BA / 5 R / 1 HR / 9 RBI / 1 BB / 6 K
Closing Thoughts
Positives that have come out of this 4-5 stretch:
Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez had great outings, when at the top of their games, they're a lethal one-two punch.
Jake Burger is on a tear.
Josh Bell went 9-35 / 8 R / 3 HR / 4 RBI / 3 BB and struck out 10 times in the stretch.
The Marlins are still in prime position to secure a spot in the NL Wild Card chase.
Miami will finish their west coast trip in San Diego as they look to Weathers, Luzardo, and Alcantara for a series win. Luis Arraez will hopefully get back to his first half hitting pace after slowing down in this second half of the season. The back end of the bullpen has to shake off their rough outings. They will have to earn to the respect of the league by finishing their season strong and earn their spot.
Next up: 3 games at San Diego, then back home for a 5-game homestand against the Nationals (3), and the Rays (2).
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