Marlins drop series opener to Rangers, are 5-14 since All-Star Break. Takeaways from the loss
The Miami Marlins played their first-ever appearance at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark that opened in the 2020 season.
The results did not play in their favor.
The Marlins dropped their series opener to the Rangers 6-2 on Friday to begin a three-game set in Arlington, continuing their run of futility in the second half of the season.
The Marlins (58-53) have won just five of 19 games since resuming play following the All-Star Break and are in the midst of a stretch of 22 consecutive games against teams competing to make the playoffs. The Rangers improve to 64-46.
Perhaps Miami’s only saving grace on Friday is that just about every team they’re competing with in the wild-card race also lost on Friday. The Braves beat the Cubs. The Nationals beat the Reds. The Royals beat the Phillies. The Pirates beat the Brewers. The Twins beat the Diamondbacks.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
How long to truly evaluate this retooled lineup?
The hope, of course, was that the Marlins’ additions of Josh Bell and Jacob Burger at the trade deadline — plus the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Avisail Garcia — would instantly ignite an offense that has been great at getting on base but as great at driving those runners in.
The production in Wednesday’s 9-8, 12-inning, walk-off win provided a blueprint for what that success would look like. More extra-base hits. More hits with runners in scoring position. More hits in clutch situations.
The two games since then? The Marlins scored four runs total and went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
On Friday specifically, Miami managed just two runs on seven hits — a Bell RBI double that scored Luis Arraez from first base in the first inning and a Jon Berti solo home run in the second — and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
With that said, how much of a sample size does Marlins manager Skip Schumaker need to see of his new lineup to know what the group is actually capable of producing on a regular basis?
“A short sample, hopefully,” Schumaker said pregame. “What you saw the other day [the walk-off win Wednesday], that I think is more of what you’re going to see.”
It has been seen in one of three games thus far.
Home runs hamper Jesus Luzardo’s outing
Marlins left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo entered Friday having given up just 13 home runs across 514 batters faced through his first 22 starts this season — that’s one home run about every 39.5 plate appearances.
Against the Rangers, he was doomed by the long ball.
Luzardo gave up a season-high three home runs over 5 1/3 innings on Friday — one to Corey Seager in the first inning and then two to Adolis Garcia in the third and sixth innings. Overall, Luzardo gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Friday was just the third time this season Luzardo has allowed multiple home runs in a game, all on the road; the others were on April 23 against the Cleveland Guardians and May 21 against the San Francisco Giants.
The Rangers scored two more runs in the seventh against right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez.
Avisail Garcia starts in center field
With Chisholm not in the starting lineup Friday, Schumaker played Garcia in center field in the series opener against the Rangers. It was Garcia’s 76th career start in center field but just his first in two seasons with the Marlins.
The Marlins have been easing both Garcia and Chisholm back after they both return from lengthy injured list stints. Garcia missed 78 games with back tightness before returning on Sunday, while Chisholm missed 60 of 66 games with two separate injuries (first turf toe and then a left oblique strain) before getting back into the lineup Monday.
Schumaker’s early plan with both players is having them start two games and then sit the third, this way they get a breather early in their returns with the hope that it limits the chance of either dealing with any sort of setback.
As for center field plan in general, the job is Chisholm’s. But on days when he’s not starting, any of Garcia, Jesus Sanchez or Bryan De La Cruz can make spot starts there.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 10:32 PM.
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