Former Fish sinks Marlins' bid for series win

MIAMI, FL—If the 2024 Marlins were to write the first page of their resiliency arc, loanDepot park on Sunday would have made a great backdrop for the opening scene. 

Having overcome a four-run deficit earlier in the contest against arguably the most well-rounded team in the majors, the Atlanta Braves, the mood for Marlins fans, who were so often dealt losing blows early on in 2024, had to have been a cocktail of rare excitement and anxiety. Andrew Nardi, victim to an ERA north of 14 through his first 8 games pitched, looked more like last year's model, striking out the side in the top of the eighth, bridging the gap to Tanner Scott and his 1.35 ERA. 

As we have learned, trust in the small sample size and be doomed to fail. Scott, while one of the best relievers in baseball last season, had writing on the wall suggesting regression by way of a 5.50 FIP thanks to a bloated 27.3% BB rate entering the game Sunday. Clinging to a 7-6 lead, and after allowing a leadoff single to Ronald Acuña Jr., Scott buckled down to retire the next two hitters before issuing a 4-pitch walk to Matt Olson.

The only person standing between Scott and the Marlins first series win of the season: arguably the sport's hottest hitter at the moment, Marcell Ozuna.

Having hits in each of his previous 12 games entering play, and with two already on the afternoon, Ozuna worked the count 1-2 before a Scott slider that crossed below the knees was crushed some 409 feet into the AutoNation Alley in left-center field. With the Marlins on the brink of victory, what was once a small lead had evaporated into the ammonia of an eventual 9-7 loss.

"(Ozuna) can hit it with the best of him," noted Scott. "I got two strikes on him and couldn't execute my pitch...I threw it in his honey hole."

Still plagued by early-season inconsistencies, Jesús Luzardo gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings, leaving him with an ERA of 7.65 through 4 starts. 

After retiring the Braves in order in the top of the first, back-to-back hits by Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna materialized into Atlanta's first run of the day after an Adam Duvall sacrifice fly in the second. 

Contrary to the fruits bore in the first 15 games of the season, the fight and comeback spirit of the 2023 club seemed alive and well Sunday.

In the bottom of the second, Bryan De La Cruz tied the score at 1-1 on the strength of his second home run of the young season. 

Two-spots from Atlanta in both the third and fourth gave them a commanding 5-1 lead, with one of those runs coming at the hands of the aforementioned Duvall, who hit his 11th career home run against Miami.

While Luzardo was anything but sharp in his latest effort, the same could be said for Charlie Morton, who Miami tagged for 6 runs in his 5 ⅔ innings of work. Trailing 5-1 in the bottom half of the 4th, Miami inched closer on the heels of run-scoring hits from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and De La Cruz. 

In the following inning, Vidal Bruján, a non-factor at the plate by way of his .056 batting average, delivered his first extra-base hit as a Marlin that turned into the fourth Miami run, though he would later depart the game after he appeared to limp upon reaching second base. Bruján would be evaluated for a right knee injury upon leaving the game. 

The coup-de-gras of the Marlins' comeback, though, came in the bottom of the sixth when, after a Jesús Sánchez game-tying RBI single knocked Morton from the game, Nick Gordon continued his flare for the Sunday dramatic, hitting his third home run of the year to put the Fish ahead 7-5. 

In keeping with the back-and-forth nature of this contest, Atlanta would scratch across another run in the seventh to cut the deficit to one, where it would stay until Ozuna's blast in the top of the ninth.

Miami, now 3-13, have been outscored 95 to 60 (-35 run differential) as they enter mid-April. 

Looking Ahead

The Marlins will celebrate the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut on Monday when they host Robinson's old rival, the San Francisco Giants. Since 2021, the Fish are 9-11 against San Francisco, falling 7-5 in their last meeting on 5/21/23. A.J. Puk (0-3, 5.91 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener for Miami. 

First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 6:40 EST. 

Of Note

- Jake Burger exited Sunday's game with left oblique discomfort. Burger spent time on the IL in 2023 for the same issue while a member of the White Sox. 

- Sunday marked Miami's third loss of the season in a game in which they hit 2 or more home runs, tied for the most in the majors.