Red Sox cash in on scoring opportunities against Miami

The Miami Marlins dropped their third consecutive game on Wednesday night. The Miami offense struggled to put runs on the board and couldn’t get the clutch hits with runners in scoring position. The Boston Red Sox continue to have their number historically, having beaten the Fish in 33 of their 49 all-time meetings.

Left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers got the start for the Marlins. He had lasted at least five innings in each of his previous six starts, but the 2021 All-Star didn’t last very long this time around. Rogers pitched three innings while averaging 28 pitches per inning, allowing five hits, two runs, three walks, and six strikeouts. Rogers picked up his ninth loss on the season, tied for the second-highest total in the majors.

Right-handed relief pitcher Huascar Brazoban came in relief for Rogers. Brazoban was excellent out of the bullpen. He pitched three innings allowing three hits, no runs, no walks, and three strikeouts.

Right-handed pitcher Calvin Faucher came in relief and got in trouble by walking batters. He led off the inning walking the first two batters and allowing an infield single to load the bases. Faucher was able to get an out before being pulled from the game. He finished with ⅓ of an inning allowing one hit, one run, and two walks.

Left-hander Andrew Nardi replaced Faucher and minimized the damage in the seventh. Yoshida grounded out to third, which allowed a run score. Nardi then punched out Dom Smith.

Anthony Bender pitched the eighth and blanked the Boston offense. That was the only 1-2-3 inning for the Marlins pitching staff all night.

Heading into the ninth, the Marlins handed the ball to rookie right-handed pitcher Anthony Maldonado. The Bethune-Cookman product was called up earlier today. Maldonado immediately got in trouble as Tyler O’Neill led off the inning with a single. Rafael Devers jumped on a first-pitch slider for an RBI triple down the right field line. Things only got worse after a base-clearing double by Ceddanne Rafaela broke the game open, 7-1. Rafaela has six runs batted in during the series, outscoring the Marlins all by himself.

Maldonado had allowed five earned runs in the 10 games he pitched during his previous MLB stint. He was charged with four in this outing alone.

The Marlins offense jumped on Boston’s starting pitcher, Brayan Bello, early with three hits and a run scored in the first. Miami would score only one other run in the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth when the outcome was already determined.

Jesús Sánchez performed very well in Wednesday’s loss. Sánchez went 3-for-4 including an RBI single.

Left fielder Bryan De La Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single and walk. The Marlins offense had another rough game due to their lack of production with runners in scoring position. Miami went 1-for-9 in the ballgame with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox went 5-for-20.

What’s next?

The Miami Marlins will complete their home series versus the Boston Red Sox with an afternoon game on the Fourth of July. Right-handed pitcher Kyle Tyler is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the Marlins.

The Boston Red Sox will have right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta on the mound for the series finale. Pivetta has posted a 4-5 record this season with a 4.52 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 61 ⅔ innings pitched. He's made four career appearances at loanDepot park, all as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2017-2019. The first pitch is at 1:10 pm EST on Bally Sports Florida.