Nothing Koch-ing: Marlins shut down by Diamondbacks rookie in 6-1 loss

No way to sugarcoat it: the Marlins played their worst baseball of the season this past weekend. The Diamondbacks outscored them by a significant margin in all three games, including Sunday’s 6-1 matinee.

• Dan Straily: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K (87 pitches)
• Matt Koch: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (84 pitches)

Straily got away with allowing hard contact in the early innings, but ultimately was done in by a lack of control. The veteran right-hander issued walks to three of the final four batters he faced (even the opposing pitcher Koch). In a rare defensive highlight for the Fish, Brian Anderson started a double play to escape further trouble after the Dbacks took a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images

Uncharacteristically, Lewis Brinson misjudged a pair of deep fly balls in the game, the second of which led to an unearned scoring in the seventh. That begs the question of whether he’s allowing offensive struggles to affect him in other areas.

With the score already 6-0, journeyman reliever Drew Rucinski made his Marlins debut. He retired the mighty Paul Goldschmidt to end the eighth inning.

Following an off day on Monday, the squad reunites with old friend Marcell Ozuna in St. Louis. The schedule beyond that features a heavy dose of NL East competition, which is proving to be a deep division. We didn’t have any delusions about the Marlins contending in 2018, but this six-game losing streak has dragged them to the total opposite end of the spectrum with MLB’s worst record seeming increasingly realistic.

Courtesy of FanGraphs

Kingfish: Koch (.481 WPA)

Flounder: Cameron Maybin (-.123)

Play of the game: Lewis Brinson misplays turns sure out into two-run triple (.096)

Attendance: 31,727

Please leave any Icthy picks in the comments below. Remember, we introduced a new grand prize for the contest this season!

Matchup Summary

Apologies for my brevity, but it’s a busy day around here!

The Marlins extended their losing streak Saturday night, with Elieser Hernández’s stuff falling flat and Jarlin García struggling again out of the ‘pen. On Sunday, they announced that García was optioned to Triple-A to get straightened out. Drew Rucinski takes his place on the active roster.

Dan Straily and Matt Koch have been very similar pitchers in 2018, so maybe this contest stays competitive.

Thread Question: As new managing editor, I’m running my own “dímelo” campaign. What kind of improvements would you like to see on Fish Stripes that would keep you coming back on a regular basis?