Recent struggles with clutch hitting cost the Marlins another opportunity to ascend in the Wild Card standings.
The Marlins were two-for-14 with runners in scoring position and lost the opener of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 on Thursday night. The loss was Miami’s fourth straight following a three-game sweep at NL Eastern Division leading Washington in a series that ended Wednesday.
“We’ve just been leaving a lot of chances and we’re not getting the hit right now,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Just a bad time right now.”
No better example of the Marlins’ lack of timely hits occurred in the ninth.