MIA 1, WAS 5: Losing Streak Reaches 8

If you’re a fan of Miami sports, football being on the horizon and basketball trailing close behind, the recent performance of the Marlins is making fan’s decisions to tune out of the diamond a lot easier than it should be.

Isan Díaz futily striking out on 3 pitches, sealing Miami’s 8th consecutive loss, a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Nationals, has almost been emblematic of the season that’s been down in South Beach.

The latest installement of Jesús Luzardo in the 305 went as one who’s watched any of the first of his four starts with the Marlins may’ve assumed; abhorently.

While the left-hander once again started the game with 3 scoreless innings, the top of the 4th would see the fellow dweller-contending Nationals - no less than two years removed from their first World Series title - began to reaffirm the cynicsm permeating through the ears of fans whenever Luzardo has toed the rubber.

Catcher Tres Barrera would take a hanging slider out for his second home run of the season to open the scoring in the 4th, putting Washington ahead 2-0.

A familiar face, Ryan Zimmerman, added his 40th career home run against the Fish with a two-run shot in the 5th to extend the Nats lead to 4. Among active players, Zimmerman is the all-time leader in hits (230), home runs (40), doubles (45), RBI (120), and runs scored (129) against Miami.

The final line for Luzardo Tuesday: 4.2 innings, 10 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. In his 22.1 innings since being acquired from Oakland, Luzardo has allowed 24 earned runs, walked 16, and allowed opposing hitters to hit .337 against him.

As for the bats? If scoring one run wasn’t enough of an indicator as to how the offense has performed, then of note, too, would be the team’s 16 strikeouts.

Thanks, in no small part, to starter Erick Fedde, who exited after striking out a career-best 10 over 6.1 innings of one-run ball, Miami joined the Chicago Cubs for the most games this season with 15 or more strikeouts, with 8. Of those games, the Marlins and Cubs also lead the charge with the most 16+ strikeout games as well, totaling 5 each, respectively.

“That was the best I’ve seen him (Fedde) look,” said manager Don Mattingly postgame.

In his career against Miami, Fedde, who entered with a career ERA of 5.11 in 290.1 innings, now owns a 0.98 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 27.2 innings pitched, according to MASN Sports’ Mark Zuckerman.

The Fish will look to bid farewell to this current 8 game skid Wednesday when fans will get their first view of Edward Cabrera, the team’s 2nd ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. The 23-year old has pitched to a 2.93 ERA over 61.1 innings across A-AAA this season, striking out 92 (13.5 K/9).

Of Note

• With his two stolen bases in Tuesday’s loss, second baseman Jazz Chisholm became the first Marlins’ rookie since Jon Berti in 2019 to steal 15 or more bases in a season.
• Chisholm also joins Hanley Ramírez as the only Marlins’ rookies to have 14 or more home runs and 15-plus stolen bases in the same season. Ramírez, who would go on to collect NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2006, slugged 17 home runs whilst stealing 51 bases.

Baseball-Savant