Deja vu: Miami Marlins once again blown out by Seattle Mariners
Different day, same results in the Pacific Northwest.
The Miami Marlins on Tuesday lost their second consecutive game to the Seattle Mariners, with an 9-3 loss at T-Mobile Park one day after losing 8-1 in the series opener Monday.
It marks the first time the Marlins have lost back-to-back games since dropping three consecutive outings from May 21-23 (one game against the San Francisco Giants, two games against the Colorado Rockies).
And the Marlins (37-31) followed a similar script in their defeat on both days.
▪ The starting pitcher struggled. Edward Cabrera on Tuesday gave up five runs on a pair of home runs — a three-run shot in the second inning by Cal Raleigh (who was 0 for his last 21 entering that at-bat) and a two-run shot in the fourth by Mike Ford — to put Miami in an early hole. He only pitched four innings.
This came one day after Jesus Luzardo gave up six runs (five earned) while pitching just four innings.
▪ The offense failed to show up against a starting pitcher who primarily throws fastballs. Bryce Miller threw fastballs with 65 of his 89 pitches on Monday and held the Marlins to one run on one hit (a Nick Fortes home run) over six innings.
George Kirby on Tuesday thew fastballs with 69 of his 92 pitches and held the Marlins to one unearned run on three hits while striking out 10 over six innings. Miami’s only run against Kirby came when Jorge Soler’s two-out single up the middle scored Garrett Hampson, who reached on a one-out single and got to second on a passed ball.
Garrett Cooper hit a two-run home run in the eighth against Seattle reliever Chris Flexen to get Miami to within 8-3.
▪ The bullpen had to eat innings. The Marlins needed four innings from their bullpen both nights and asked relievers to go multiple innings in order to save their primary high-leverage guys from being used in situations that didn’t call for them.
Huascar Brazoban and Bryan Hoeing each went two innings on Monday, holding Seattle (33-33) to just a solo home run apiece.
Veteran Archie Bradley, who the Marlins added to the active roster on Tuesday, pitched a scoreless fifth inning on Tuesday before allowing all four batters he faced in the sixth to reach base, capped by a Jose Caballero three-run triple. Steven Okert then pitched two shutout innings before JT Chargois pitched the eighth and gave up a solo home run to Ford.
Luis Arraez batting average update
Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez went 0 for 5 and has been held without a hit in consecutive games.
It’s the first time that he has gone without a hit in back-to-back starts since May 10 at the Arizona Diamondback and May 12 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Arraez’s batting average, which was at .403 as recently as Wednesday, is now down to .382.
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