MIA 2, PHI 3; Phillies walk it off, hand Miami eighth straight loss

Bad teams find ways to lose. It can’t be pinned on a single player or coach—it’s a group effort that often leads to disappointing nights like this one.

While Marlins relief pitcher Tommy Nance is one of the few Miami relievers to not get an audition as a closer this year, it was his second game this week in which he gave up the game-winning or go-ahead run in the ninth inning or later. On August 30, he gave up the go-ahead run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the 10th inning, then on Tuesday, he gave up a walk-off single to the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning.

However, as previously mentioned, these losses can not be pinned on one person. In that decisive ninth inning, left fielder Brian Anderson ran in to catch a Bryce Harper pop-up along the left field foul line. He began a slide that would have likely allowed him to make the catch for the second out of the inning. But possibly due to the rainy conditions in Philadelphia during the game and throughout the day, Anderson slipped and flopped to the ground. Harper advanced to second, and scored two batters later on a Jean Segura single.

Although Anderson has plenty of recent experience in right field, this was only his eighth major league game in left.

One could also make the argument that the game wouldn’t have had to come down to that play if the Fish had scored more than two runs. Entering Tuesday, the Marlins had averaged 1.4 runs over the previous eight games.

It was Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola’s turn to shut the Marlins offense down. Aside from two RBI from Anderson on a single in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the eighth, Nola was dominant. He got 10 strikeouts, including his 200th of the season.

The Marlins threatened to score in the ninth inning when Garrett Cooper drew a walk and was subsequently pinch-ran for by Luke Williams. While Williams has been great on the basepaths this year for Miami, a questionable steal attempt on a 3-0 count disrupted the small rally the Marlins had going on.

Marlins starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo once again showed promise on the mound. He allowed two runs and collected nine strikeouts in seven innings.

Working deep into games has recently become commonplace for Luzardo. Since his return from the IL on August 1, he’s now had three outings of seven-plus innings; prior to that, he had only one such start in his career.

Luzardo’s final line would have been even better if not for an out at home plate which was overturned via replay review. It was determined that Nick Fortes illegally blocked the plate and didn’t provide a lane for Edmundo Sosa to use. Impressive throw by Anderson regardless.

Baseball Savant

The Marlins will try to end their eight-game losing streak on Wednesday against the Phillies at 6:45 p.m. Trevor Rogers will take the mound against Bailey Falter.