Miami Marlins unravel in sixth inning in blowout loss to Tampa Bay Rays
For five innings Tuesday, the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays were pitted in a close game.
The game spiraled from there.
A sixth inning to forget for the Marlins paved the way for an inevitable 11-2 loss to the Rays at loanDepot park to begin a brief two-game series.
The Marlins fall to 66-66, back at a .500 record with 30 regular-season games left to make a push for a playoff spot. The Rays improve to 81-52.
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, who threw a complete game against this same Rays team on July 26, held Tampa Bay to just one run through his first five innings despite lengthy at-bats and traffic on the basepaths elevating his pitch count.
He didn’t have the same fortunes once he got to the sixth.
Brandon Lowe led off the frame with a bloop double in shallow right field. Outfielder Jorge Soler made a bad read and took a step back before running in for the popup as second baseman Luis Arraez ran out to try to cover. Arraez tried make an over-the-shoulder grab while Soler slid feet first. The ball dropped between them.
“It was one of those fall-right-in-between type of deals,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “When [Soler] broke back is what cost him that ball..”
After a Randy Arozarena strikeout, Isaac Paredes tied the game at 2-2 with a single just over shortstop Jon Berti’s head and into left field. Alcantara then got Josh Lowe to fly out to center before hitting Vidal Brujan with a pitch. Alcantara was at 109 pitches at that point with Jose Siri coming to the plate.
“I think he was fine,” Schumaker said. “He had enough pitches and enough strength to get Siri. I had [Steven] Okert ready. I know the splits and that type of thing. I just trust him to get out of the inning and still felt like it was his game. We all felt like it was his game still.
So Schumaker kept Alcantara in the game. Siri took advantage of a slider that caught too much of the plate for a go-ahead two-run double.
“Just missed my location,” Alcantara said.
The Rays never looked back.
Tampa Bay doubled its score in the seventh inning alone on a Harold Ramirez RBI single against Okert and home runs from Arozarena and Josh Lowe against George Soriano.
Paredes then capped scoring with a three-run home run against Jorge Lopez in the ninth.
Center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove in both of Miami’s runs, hitting an RBI single in the first and a solo home run in the third to give the Marlins leads of 1-0 and 2-1 that wouldn’t hold.
Miami went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base
This and that
▪ Tuesday was the first time since the All-Star Break that Alcantara did not complete at least six innings. His final line: Four earned runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit by pitch with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
▪ Since scoring 11 runs in their series-opening win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 18, the Marlins have been held to two runs or fewer in seven of their past nine games. They have failed to score more than four runs in a game at any point in that stretch.
▪ Soler was removed from the game mid at-bat in the seventh inning with right hip tightness.
▪ The Marlins are now 16-27 this season in series openers.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 9:52 PM.
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