Marlins break up Richard’s no-hitter, but can’t break through against ‘pen in 3-1 loss

As expected, there was way more offense during the Marlins alumni softball game than in the main event. Eric Hosmer’s two-run, opposite-field home run made all the difference as the Fish lost on Sunday afternoon, 3-1.

• Clayton Richard: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (94 pitches)
• José Ureña: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (86 pitches)

The best scoring opportunity for the home team came in the first inning. Richard issued a walk and hit a batter. Cameron Maybin came to the plate with two outs having been very productive against left-handed pitching this season (.316/.381/.421 in 63 PA). You could tell from his swing.

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To most areas of Marlins Park, that’s a three-run homer. At the very least, with the runners moving on contact, it would’ve scored both of them had it found a landing spot in the outfield.

Bad luck manifests itself in creative ways whenever Ureña gets the starting assignment.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Hunter Renfroe came around to score the first run of the game in the second inning as the result of his own a double, a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. Otherwise, both pitchers made quick work of their opposing lineups.

Getting his third look at Ureña in the sixth inning, Hosmer added a couple critical insurance runs. The Padres may come to regret his $144 million contract, but for the time being, he has justified it by performing as their most valuable player.

Meanwhile, Richard settled down from Maybin’s first-inning scare. Featuring a filthy slider, he racked up more swinging strikes than usual and generated plenty of ground balls. At one point, the veteran left-hander retired 15 straight Marlins. He even had a no-hitter intact until Miguel Rojas found a hole in the middle of the infield.

With dominant relievers looming in the Padres bullpen, that seventh inning was Miami’s last gasp. JT Riddle brought them to within 3-1 on a RBI single, allowing red-hot Derek Dietrich to come up representing the go-ahead run. A tiring Richard allowed hard contact to Dietrich, but kept it on the ground for the first baseman Hosmer to record the out unassisted.

The season series between the Marlins and Padres ends with San Diego going 5-2. However, the slim 30-26 scoring margin is a reminder of how winnable several of these contests were.

Perhaps not quite as winnable: the Giants come to town on Monday to begin a four-game set. Madison Bumgarner, recently returned from the disabled list, takes the mound in the series opener against Wei-Yin Chen. Fish Stripes will have a more detailed series preview publishing shortly.

Courtesy of FanGraphs

Kingfish: Richard (.342 WPA)

Flounder: through no fault of his own, Maybin (-.128)

Play of the game: Hosmer’s homer (.166)

Attendance: 12,984

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Matchup Summary

Lots of positive developments on Saturday afternoon, but as we’ve frequently seen this season, a close game slipped away in the later innings. Some of the blame goes on Don Mattingly’s pitching staff management, some of it on Dan Straily for putting the Marlins in an immediate 3-0 hole.

Brian Anderson and Derek Dietrich continue to be among the hottest hitters in the majors.

Going about their business in different styles, Clayton Richard and José Ureña are performing at a very similar level in 2018. Ureña finally picked up his first win earlier this week, but hasn’t been getting adequate run support when starting at Marlins Park.

First pitch approximately 1:10pm. Those of you waiting until then to tune in missed a lot of action!

Thread Question: What expectations did you have for Anderson entering this season? Don’t think many were counting on All-Star-caliber production.