Controversial seventh-inning call burns Marlins in close loss to Phillies

[Kevin Barral]

The Miami Marlins needed to catch a break on Monday night to pull off an upset of Cristopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies. Instead, a missed call denied them of a critical run in a frustrating 6-5 loss.

In the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, Javier Sanoja hit a ball down the left field line that was originally called foul. After further review, it was ruled a double. Otto Lopez, the runner on first base, would have scored easily on a live ball, but under these circumstances, he was placed at third base. Manager Clayton McCullough went out to argue the call and was immediately ejected. Lopez would be stranded at third at the end of the inning.

"I can't go argue a play that went to New York, but my only point was that with two outs, the size of lead that Otto is going to have at first, not being held and going on contact where that ball was going to end up," McCullough told reporters postgame. "I think that he was going to score anyway. Just a little bit more frustration that you see that your call is going to get overturned and what maybe could have been."

The explanation McCullough received was that since the ball was called dead so early, "it's really tough to then assume that you know all players continued to go."

For Sanoja, he now has recorded 16 RBI with the bases loaded this season, the most by a Marlins hitter in a single season since Justin Bour and Marcell Ozuna, who each had 17 RBI in bases-loaded situations in 2017. He was visibly upset by the call made by umpire Shane Livensparger.

"It's extremely frustrating for us," Sanoja said via an interpreter. "I think everyone saw and to ruin a game like that with two teams competing in the same division knowing what we are playing for is frustrating. Unfortunately at the end of the day, the baseball gods spoke and we lost by one run."

Despite the call, the Marlins went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Cristopher Sanchez allowed one run on eight hits and walked three. He remains undefeated in eight career outings against Miami.

"We put some guys on base and kind of scattered it around, but did like that we stressed him and made him work," McCullough said. "Had some chances and just couldn't really come through with a big blow there on a couple of occasions to potentially flip that game in the more early going."

Victor Vodnik worked the bottom of the seventh inning, allowing a bases-loaded walk, making it 5-3. In five appearances with the Marlins, he owns a 4.50 ERA while allowing five walks in six innings.

In the top of the eighth, the Marlins kept fighting as Brian Navarreto took Brooks Raley deep for his first home run of the season, making it a 5-4 game. It was also his first run driven in since being called up from Triple-A nearly two months ago.

The Phillies tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Marlins responded by making things interesting off Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. A questionable decision in the ninth inning was leaving Leo Jimenez in the game to face Duran and when Owen Caissie was available to pinch hit. Jimenez grounded into a force out to end the game. 

With the loss, the Marlins drop to 64-62 on the season, three games out of the third National League Wild Card spot and four games behind the Phillies. Lefty Cade Gibson will get the start on Tuesday night, presumably in an opener role with Tyler Phillips following him and handling the bulk of the innings.

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