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The six game road trip that ended Sunday afternoon with a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies is one that the Marlins would like to put behind them. Miami got swept by Washington and Philadelphia, two key National League East opponents.
Henderson Alvarez shaky early
Alvarez has been inconsistent after ending last season with a no-hitter, and that trend continued Sunday. A throwing error and two walks loaded the bases in the first inning, although the Phillies didn't capitalize.
Ryan Howard took Alvarez deep in the third inning, and Wil Nieves doubled to tie the game at three.
In his six innings, Alvarez gave up 12 hits while walking three and striking out five. Alvarez and Eovaldi were both efficient against a Phillies lineup that scored six times against Jose Fernandez on Friday night.
Offense starts quick, can't add late
Casey McGehee's RBI single in the first inning put the Marlins on the board first, a feeling that was seemingly unfamilar on the road trip.
Christian Yelich's RBI hit in the second extended the Marlins' lead to two, and Garrett Jones' first home run as a Marlin was the last run Miami would score.
Miami had struggled against Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick in the past, and against the Marlins he turned in a quality start, going six innings and yielding three runs, only two of which were earned.
Miami couldn't regain the lead against B.J. Rosenberg, Antonio Bastardo, or Jonathan Papelbon.
Against both Washington and the Phillies, with the exception of a 10-7 loss in D.C. on Wednesday, the Marlins' early offensive success slowed down. McGehee and Jones struggled for most of the trip, though Yelich continued to get on base consistently atop Miami's lineup.
Bullpen gives up the lead
Miami's bullpen had one baseball's best ERAs after the season's first week, however that success ended on the roadtrip. For the second time in the series, the bullpen couldn't keep the game tied.
Dan Jennings gave up a walk-off home run on Saturday night, and after recording two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Mike Dunn gave up a home run to Chase Utley to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead they wouldn't lose.
The Marlins play the Nationals at home in the first game of a three game set starting Monday night.