The Miami Marlins dropped three of four to the San Diego Padres over the weekend. But what went wrong, and what needs to be turned around before the Marlins play game one against the Dodgers.
When the Marlins and Padres matched up for the first time in the second series of 2014, the Marlins looked dominant, and San Diego like a young team trying to find its identity. But against the Marlins this weekend, San Diego received solid pitching and timely hitting. After losing three of four, what went wrong for the Marlins?
Starting pitchers can't find the strike zone
Starter | Innings Pitched | Runs | ERA |
6.0 | 1 | 1.50 | |
5.0 | 6 | 9.00 | |
Nathan Eovaldi | 5.0 | 2 | 3.60 |
Henderson Alvarez | 4.0 | 5 | --- |
On the last homestand during which the Marlins went 8-1, the starting pitching was effective. Jacob Turner was solid in the first game of the series, only giving up one run over six innings, but after Thursday night, the Marlins didn't receive a quality start.
Jose Fernandez reportedly suffered from a stomach bug, so his poor outing may be justified. But while Nathan Eovaldi's start wasn't terrible, his inability to go deep into the game forced Mike Redmond to utilize his bullpen, which led to a Carlos Marmol four run inning.
Henderson Alvarez's four innings on Sunday were all lengthy, and a lack of command forced the bullpen to be used prematurely for the second straight night.
Fernandez, Eovaldi, and Alvarez all posted ERAs of under three on the last homestand, and while offense was a key element to their success at home, the pitching must adapt to road ballparks.
Middle of the order slows down
Player | Hits | On Base Percentage |
5 | .417 | |
2 | .250 | |
0 | .000 |
With added depth, the Marlins are expected to be able to score a sufficient number of runs on a daily basis. Giancarlo Stanton, Casey McGehee, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all struggled to get on base in key situations, and the bottom of the order wasn't as productive as it was during the previous ten games.
Ed Lucas, Reed Johnson, Jeff Baker, and Jeff Mathis all received playing time during the series, but Miami's bench players couldn't take advantage of the starting time.
San Diego's young pitching dominated the Marlins' lineup and recorded a record number of strikeouts over the course of the series.