Tempers Flare in Los Angeles; Marlins Lose Fifth Straight Game 7-2

It looked as though the Marlins (14-27) were in the midst of another boring losing effort through seven innings at Dodgers Stadium. The loser of four in a row, 18 of their last 22, and looking lifeless both on the mound and at the plate; the Marlins have been nothing short of a disaster. When teams lose, frustration starts to build. A.J. Ramos finally decided to take out that frustration on the Dodgers.

With a runner on first base and two out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Marlins finally lost their cool. Cody Bellinger, one of the brightest young stars in the game, took a Ramos offering into the seats to give the Dodgers (25-18) a commanding 7-0 lead. No bats were flipped, no words were exchanged, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Ramos just let the frustration get the best of him and drilled the next batter, Brett Eibner, in the ribs.

Sportsnet LA

Could this have been an accident? Of course. It’s not like Ramos has the best control of any pitcher in the league. He even admitted this much in his post game interview. But let’s not kid ourselves. This was most likely an intentional act.

Eibner didn’t like. The crowd clearly didn’t like it. And I’m sure even some of Ramos’ teammates didn’t like it. But it happened and the Marlins had to deal with the consequences in the final inning of the game.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the ninth inning against relief pitcher Ross Stripling. The first pitch from the Dodgers right hander was thrown right behind him. It just missed hitting the back of Stanton’s jersey by a matter of inches. Stanton started angrily walking out towards the mound, screaming his frustration.

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Both benches cleared as a lot of pushing, shoving, and a whole lot of screaming took place in the middle of the baseball diamond. Marlins manager Don Mattingly took part in a shouting match with Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren. He needed to be restrained by Dee Gordon.

Sportsnet LA

Sportsnet LA

Sportsnet LA

It was an ugly situation that had no reason to take place. But that’s what happens with a losing baseball team. It’s not easy to keep your cool when all you can think about is futility.

After the mess was over, Justin Bour stayed hot with his sixth home run in the last nine games. After a slow start, he is now batting .265/.357/.522 with 10 home runs. Not bad at all.

J.T. Realmuto lined a one-out single before Christian Colon collected his first hit as a Marlin with a double to left. J.T. Riddle brought in the Marlins second and final run of the game with a sac-fly. This marks the seventh straight game where the Marlins have not scored more than three runs.

Justin Nicolino (L, 0-1) started the game for the Marlins and could not build off of his strong season debut. He lasted only four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, two homers, two walks, while striking out three.

Dustin McGowan and Nick Wittgren combined for three shutout innings before the Ramos debacle took place.

The Marlins had nine hits on the evening. Gordon and Marcell Ozuna were the only two in double digits with two singles each. Bour, Realmuto, Colon, Riddle, and Tyler Moore had one hit on the evening.

With the loss, the Marlins are now a big league worst 14-27. Eleven games back of the Nationals in the NL East.

I’m not sure why any Marlins fan would want to keep looking at these win expectancy graphs, but I wouldn’t judge you (too much) if you want to.

Fangraphs

The Marlins and Dodgers will meet again tomorrow at 10:10 PM EST. It will be Dan Straily on the hill for the Marlins taking on Julio Urias. Will more bench clearing drama take place? You’ll have to tune in to find out!