Tired and battered Marlins end disastrous road trip with another loss
A few Marlins players and coaches remain without power in South Florida.
And, yet, they can’t get home soon enough, no matter how hot it is.
Tired and battered, the Marlins closed out a disastrous road trip Sunday with an 10-3 beatdown by the Brewers. The Marlins went 2-8 on the trip and have lost 17 of their past 20 games.
Sunday’s setback came about when rookie Dillon Peters walked Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff with two outs in the fourth. The Brewers responded by scoring eight runs in the inning, the second eight-run inning of the series given up by the Marlins’ frazzled pitching staff.
Marlins pitchers allowed 73 runs on the 10-game trip. Sunday’s game was the fourth on the trip in which the Marlins gave up exactly 10 runs.
The fatigue and lack of focus stemming from the Marlins’ September swoon is plainly evident. Catcher J.T. Realmuto dropped a foul pop in the calamitous fourth inning and center fielder Christian Yelich missed a fly ball in the sixth that contributed to a Brewers run.
Then there was Giancarlo Stanton, who wasn’t in Sunday’s lineup.
Manager Don Mattingly said Stanton, who has struggled this month, told trainers he was “tired” and asked to have the day off. Including a scheduled off day for the Marlins on Monday, it marked the third time in 10 days Stanton received a breather.
MVP TALK
Mattingly doesn’t have a MVP vote.
If he did, though, Mattingly said the player on the Marlins he’d give it to would be Marcell Ozuna, not Stanton.
“Offensively, I would have to honestly say Marcell from the standpoint of day to day, whole year,” Mattingly said. “He’s kind of been the guy who’s been our bread and butter, day in and day out for us.”
Ozuna is hitting .301 with 33 homers and 111 RBI.
But Stanton has overshadowed his fellow outfielder, becoming the first player since Alex Rodriguez in 2007 to hit as many as 50 home runs, drive in as many as 110, and score as many as 110.
“Obviously, Giancarlo has had a huge home run year and second half,” Mattingly said. “He’s driven in more runs than Marcell. He’s scored a bunch of runs. He’s been good defensively. So there’s no reason not to talk about him. So it’s really not a knock on Giancarlo. I think it’s more of a knock that Marcell’s not really getting the attention.”
Mattingly said it might be different if the Marlins played in a larger market or were in the thick of the playoff race.
“We’re in Miami,” Mattingly said. “We really haven’t been in the race. I think if we were a game back or a game up, I think that a lot more people would be talking about Marcell.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ First responders to Hurricane Irma and residents of Monroe County will receive free admission to all remaining Marlins home games. First responders can claim their tickets at the Center Field entrance. Two tickets will be provided per valid identification indicating First Responder status.
Monroe County residents can claim their tickets at the North Ticket window by providing proof of residence.
▪ Shortstop Miguel Rojas left Sunday’s game in the second inning with a strained left shoulder after diving for a ground ball.
▪ Brad Ziegler has resumed throwing and is optimistic he can return to action before the end of the season. Ziegler, who hasn’t appeared since Sept. 7 due to lower back pain, threw a bullpen session Saturday.
“I threw like 15 fastballs to get an idea if it was still bugging me or not,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to pitch next week.”
COMING UP
▪ Monday: Marlins RHP Dan Straily (9-9, 4.24 ERA) vs. New York Mets RHP Matt Harvey (5-5, 6.14), 7:10 p.m., Marlins Park.
▪ Tuesday: Marlins (TBA) vs. New York Mets RHP Seth Lugo (6-5, 5.21), 7:10 p.m., Marlins Park.
This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Tired and battered Marlins end disastrous road trip with another loss."