It was another day, but another disappointing outing for the Miami Marlins.
For obvious reasons, we can’t say we’re surprised. Miami just played one of the most confident and persistent teams in baseball (The Boston Red Sox). The Sox compete in a very challenging division, meaning they were sure to qualify as a tough opponent from the get-go. However, that still doesn’t mean it’s alright to absolve the Marlins on this one. Miami, while not necessarily ever standing out as a top-tier team in baseball this season, is now a whopping 2-10 in their last 12 games.
That’s right, 2-10. We’ll allow you to judge it first, but that record to us serves as a cause for concern. The Marlins never even started out strong in the first place, but 2-10 still seems unacceptable for just about any major league baseball team. Factor in the fact that baseball is now entering the heat of its season, and that especially becomes true. The Marlins need to recover from their mistakes urgently, and that starts with looking back on the errors from the most recent games. So, without further of due, here’s how it all went down on Monday.
Red Sox Hitting
The Red Sox saw Alex Verdugo at the helm of most of the day’s hitting action. The 25-year-old center fielder went 2-for-4 on the day, batting in two separate runs off of a double and a single. Verdugo’s contributions earned him his 26th RBI on the season, and more importantly, gave the Red Sox some breathing room throughout the later stages of the game.
Christian Arroyo, meanwhile, hit a two-run single in the fourth inning after a poor error from Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro. The error from Alfaro perfectly summed up the Marlins performance in a way, as the team struggled to maintain consistency from a mental standpoint.
Marlins Hitting
Hitting-wise, the Marlins didn’t do that bad. The team found itself with runners on base consistently throughout the evening, as Miami tallied a total of 12 hits compared to Boston’s 10. Among Miami’s offensive contributors was center fielder Starling Marte. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner earned his team its only home run on the evening with a solo shot in the top of the fifth. Marte finished the game with three hits.
Jorge Alfaro and Isan Diaz also joined in on the fun with RBI’s of their own that each tallied in a single run. However, their contributions would not qualify as enough, as the Red Sox kept the game out of reach in the later stages of the game with a strong relieving rotation.
Marlins Pitching
On the Marlins side of things, there was a cause for excitement with who would be taking the mound on Monday. Pitcher Zack Thompson received the news that he would make his first major league start against the Red Sox.
As one would expect, Thompson showed a lot of excitement with finally getting the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues. When asked about his accomplishment, he stated, “That was just unbelievable, a great place to make my debut. You go from playing in front of nobody, then to Fenway Park. Wow!”
Unfortunately, what started out as excitement turned into disappointment, as Thompson had to leave the game in the fourth inning due to an apparent injury. The 27-year-old finished the day with two runs allowed, four hits, and a strikeout.
Boston Pitching
On the Boston side of things, Nick Pivetta started on the mound. Pivetta, who entered the game with confidence, lacked what it took to go the distance against the Marlins. What was a strong start soon turned into a cause for concern, as the Sox starter gave up a run in both the fourth and fifth inning. His mid-game struggles would cause him to be pulled in the fifth inning, ultimately finishing the day with two runs, seven hits, three walks, and six strikeouts overall.
Even with all that said, the Red Sox still managed to pull through relieving-wise on the evening. Hirokazu Sawamura (2-0) was awarded with the win for Boston, pitching only four outs on the way to contributing to Boston’s victory.
Concluding Thoughts
As stated earlier, it’s time to clean up on the mistakes. The Marlins simply aren’t going to get anywhere if they keep making stupid and unnecessary errors. There’s obviously plenty of other fundamentals to work on as well, but useless follies always sting the most. In a time of the season where every game starts to matter even more, it’s time to put the pedal to the metal. We’re not asking for a playoff appearance immediately, but a competitive team would sure be nice.