Marlins pen falls apart late again, free fall continues

Familiar narratives abound in this one. Bullpen implosion. Missed opportunities to drive in runners. The Marlins bailing the Braves out of a long losing streak. At 13-21, things are beginning to look dire. The “it’s early” refrain grows dim amidst the cacophony of alarm bells.

Still, “it’s early.”

When the games get all doomy and gloomy, I like to point out the positives (and the negatives)!

• The Marlins hit three home runs in this one, Babe Bour with a mighty solo shot in the sixth, JT Realmuto with a two run shot in the seventh, and Derek Dietrich with another solo home run. That was all the damage the Fish would do, as the eight men to reach base never made it home. The Marlins and Braves both tallied ten hits, but the Braves also walked seven times, the Marlins hitters...well, they don’t care for that whole base on balls business.
• I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Dietrich had a couple of stellar plays at third base. It is important he show competence there given the hodgepodge nature of the infield at the moment.
• Despite issuing three walks, Jose Urena limited the damage to two earned runs over six innings alongside four strikeouts. Hollandsworth pointed out several times during the broadcast that Ureña didn’t appear to have good command of his slider, but still managed to stay largely out of trouble on the night. Given Adam Conley’s present stint in AAA and the shaky health of Chen and Volquez, Ureña may have earned himself an extended look in the rotation, a most welcome development.
• Of the four men who entered the game after Ureña departed, only Nick Wittgren was notably competent, striking out two in the final frame. In the disastrous seventh, the Marlins bullpen trio of Brad Ziegler, Kyle Barraclough and Brian Ellington allowed six runs, and the sound you heard around Miami was hundreds of remotes turning hundreds of tvs off, because we’ve seen this game before and we knew it was finished.

Edinson Volquez makes his return from the disabled list tomorrow, to face Julio Teheran, 4:10 eastern start time.

Kingfish: Mike Foltynewicz (.260)

Flounder: Brad Ziegler (-.228)

Play of the game: Tyler Flowers second inning two run shot (.188)