An open-and-shut outcome: Slumping Marlins lose again to Braves

The weather was such Saturday night that the roof was open at Marlins Park.

If the decision was put to a vote by Marlins players, though, they would probably demand it be slammed shut.

For all eternity.

The Marlins fell to 0-6 on the season with the roof open, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Braves and landing with a splat into the National League East cellar. The Marlins (13-22) have now lost 14 of their past 17 games.

The frustration showed in Giancarlo Stanton, who slammed his bat after popping out in the sixth and pounded his fist in the outfield grass when he took the field for the seventh.

The open roof had a direct bearing on the latest setback, too.

Left fielder Marcell Ozuna not only lost a fly ball in the Miami twilight because of it, a misplay that preceded the Braves’ first two runs, but it likely denied him a two-run homer as well.

“For me, I no like,” Ozuna said of the open roof.

Not even home-field advantage is much of an “advantage” for the Marlins these days. Their 5-11 mark at Marlins Park is the worst home record in the majors. But when the roof is rolled open, an infrequent event given South Florida’s intolerable summer weather, they are especially dreadful.

Since Marlins Park opened in 2012, they have gone 202-218 in their ballpark for a .481 winning percentage. But they seem to wilt further when the retractable roof is open, going 18-32 for a .360 win percentage.

On Saturday, the roof was open for a Marlins Park-record fifth consecutive game — all losses.

Saturday also marked the return of starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, who missed one start because of a blister on his right thumb. There seemed to be no lingering effects from the injury as Volquez cruised through the first three innings without allowing a hit.

Then came the fourth. Freddie Freeman lofted a routine fly ball to left that Ozuna failed to see. He extended his arms in a where-is-it posture before the ball finally landed — a good 30 to 40 feet from where he was standing.

“When it’s dark, it’s easy,” Ozuna said. “But when it’s like this, when the sun is going to sleep, it’s hard to see it.”

Ozuna said he saw the ball the moment it struck Freeman’s bat.

“And then I was, ‘Where’s the ball?’ I lose it because it was yellow and sky blue, light-blue mix.”

Center fielder Christian Yelich said he even lost the ball in the twilight, and he had a better angle on it than Ozuna.

Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson followed later with RBI singles to give the Braves a 2-0 lead.

It would have probably been a 2-0 lead over the Braves (13-20) in the first for the Marlins had Ozuna’s long fly ball to left off Julio Teheran with a man aboard made it out. But when the glass panels in left are open, balls don’t carry as well. And Ozuna’s fell just shy, landing in Matt Kemp’s glove just short of the wall.

“I stand up at home plate and say, ‘OK, home run time. Two runs. 2-0 now,’ ” Ozuna said. “And then I saw [Kemp] and say, ‘Oh my God.’ ”

The Marlins managed to avoid a shutout in the seventh when Justin Bour connected on his first home run off a left-handed pitcher. After going 123 at-bats against southpaws without one, Bour belted an Eric O’Flaherty pitch into the upper deck in right, proving it can be done.

But the Marlins gave the run back in the eighth on third baseman Derek Dietrich’s throwing error, his second error in as many nights.

The Marlins are becoming openly frustrated as the losses mount. Stanton was clearly angry.

“It’s frustrating for all of us,” manager Don Mattingly said. “You have to talk to Giancarlo about frustration. I don’t know if he’s frustrated about his at-bats or us not winning.”

Mattingly said Marlins players can’t cave to a defeatist mentality.

“Obviously, with the way we’re playing, everyone will feel a little frustrated,” he said. “But at some point, how much are you going to take? Are we going to come out and fight and play hard every day? Or are we going to give in and think the season is not going to be a good one?”

This story was originally published May 13, 2017 at 10:04 PM with the headline "An open-and-shut outcome: Slumping Marlins lose again to Braves."