Marlins look completely helpless as historic losing streak creates ‘never win again’ feeling
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Marlins look completely helpless as historic losing streak creates ‘never win again’ feeling originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Only a few weeks ago, the Miami Marlins appeared ready to become one of baseball’s most surprising playoff contenders. Now, it feels as if they may never win another game.
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Miami suffered a 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres on Saturday, extending its losing streak to 11 games and tying the longest skid in franchise history. A team that stood 10 games above .500 on July 9 has completely unraveled as the MLB trade deadline approaches.
The Marlins have not simply been unlucky, either. Nearly everything that propelled them through a historic June has disappeared at the same time. The timely hits are gone. The bullpen can no longer protect leads. The supporting cast has stopped producing. Even strong outings from Miami’s starting pitchers have not been enough to prevent the collapse.
It has created a helpless feeling around a club that suddenly cannot find any path to victory.
Marlins’ collapse reaches historic territory
Eury Pérez did everything reasonably expected of him Saturday, allowing three runs over seven innings while throwing a season-high 104 pitches. The 23-year-old has now delivered four consecutive quality starts and owns a 1.58 ERA over his past seven outings. He has surrendered only seven earned runs across 40 innings during that stretch.
Yet just four of those seven starts have resulted in Marlins victories. That tells the story of Miami’s current misery. Pérez and the starting rotation can keep games close, but the offense or bullpen repeatedly finds a way to let them slip away.
Saturday was no different. Dax Fulton entered in the eighth inning and allowed three runs as the Padres turned a manageable deficit into another comfortable victory.
Miami collected only five hits and scored fewer than its season average of 4.4 runs for the eighth time during the 11-game losing streak. Otto Lopez and Kyle Stowers drove in the Marlins’ only runs. Manager Clayton McCullough admitted there is no single player capable of rescuing the team.
“All parts will have to be involved for us to turn this around,” McCullough said. “One person isn’t going to stop it. Ultimately, it’s what does our team need to do break it. It’s going to be a collective effort.”
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Miami’s offense has completely disappeared
The numbers explain why every Marlins game currently feels so difficult. During the losing streak, Miami owns MLB’s lowest on-base percentage at .273 and its second-lowest batting average at .214. Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks have continued to provide respectable production, but the supporting cast has failed to deliver consistently.
The bullpen has experienced an equally alarming decline. Miami’s relievers ranked among baseball’s five best units during June. Since the losing streak began, the bullpen ERA has fallen into the bottom 10.
That combination leaves almost no margin for error. The starters must be nearly perfect because the lineup is struggling to score, and any narrow lead feels vulnerable once the game reaches the later innings. McCullough remains convinced the collapse will eventually end, even if he cannot predict when.
“The seas that we’re navigating, they’ll end,” McCullough said. “I wish I had a crystal ball to know when. But still a ton of confidence that we’ll get this thing turned in a different direction.”
The Marlins still entered Sunday only three games behind a National League Wild Card spot, so the season is not over. That may be difficult for frustrated fans to believe after watching a promising summer turn into a historic free fall.
Miami will attempt to avoid a franchise-record 12th consecutive loss in Sunday’s series finale against San Diego. Janson Junk is scheduled to face Walker Buehler at 1:40 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park.
At this point, one ordinary victory would feel like a postseason breakthrough.
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