Our Noticias, 7/5/19: Marlins swept again by Nats

Game Recap

Looking to break out of a slump against the Nationals yesterday morning (yes, morning), the Marlins didn’t find any solutions despite a leadoff home run by Miguel Rojas. When Elieser Hernandez couldn’t finish the fifth inning, Adam Conley continued to march his ERA towards the stratosphere. Miami went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position as Washington completed the sweep by winning 5-2.

At least those Independence Day caps were cool, right?

All-Star Break Arriving at the Right Time

That makes it six straight losses to the Nationals, all within a week. On the bright side, the Marlins have had a chance to win most of those games, losing by more than three runs only once, but four blown leads proved costly, as has been the case all season long. After the team showed visible signs of improvement over the previous six weeks or so, this new slide has manager Don Mattingly a little frustrated. Here’s to hoping that a few days off next week will allow the team to relax and reset ahead of the stretch run.

Rojas Plates Two, Stays Hot

One player in particular that hasn’t been struggling lately is infielder Miguel Rojas, and during his 287th at-bat of 2019 he finally went yard to open the game yesterday, becoming the last qualified hitter in all of baseball to do so.

He added another RBI in the second inning on what should have been another hit (if not for a baserunning blunder by Hernandez). Rojas is now batting .296 on the season, which is well on pace for a career high.

Consistency Wins Championships

On the field, consistency is key in any sport to winning a title. Behind the scenes and in the draft and scouting rooms, the same message rings true. Miami infused more talent into their development pool this week with the commencement of the 2019-20 international signing period, and targeted very much the same blueprint as the 2019 MLB Draft: athletic, contact-first athletes. Time will tell whether or not this is the right path to follow.

Current Bros, Future Stars

Monte Harrison and Isan Diaz are two names that have been popping up frequently on this site this season, and for good reason. After tearing it up at Triple-A all season, the pair are headed to the Futures Game to represent the Marlins in Cleveland on Sunday, alongside Double-A pitcher Sixto Sanchez. It’s fitting that Diaz and Harrison will get to experience the festivities together; the two are almost inseparable, having been teammates for most of their careers, a stretch that may just continue to the major league level later in the year.

Fine and Sandy

ICYMI: starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara has been chosen as the Marlins’ sole All-Star representative, becoming the fifth rookie in team history to receive the honor, and giving you a reason to cheer during the Midsummer Classic.

Up Next

The Marlins open up a three-game set in Atlanta tonight. They will send Jordan Yamamoto (3-0, 2.35 ERA) to the hill to battle Julio Teheran (5-6, 3.99 ERA) and the Braves at 7:20 p.m. ET.