Marlins mistakes
Miami suffers 6-0 loss to Phillies.
MIAMI — The Marlins and right-hander Jose Ureña did not make a ton of mistakes Wednesday night. But the ones they did make cost them the longest active winning streak in the major leagues.
Miami erred early on during a 6-0 loss to Philadelphia in front of 5,941 at Marlins Park, and Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola made sure the blunders were highlighted with 7 1⁄3 shutout innings.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Marlins, who have still won six of their last eight games and each of their last three series. Miami was shut out for the fifth time this season.
Ureña served up a leadoff home run to Cesar Hernandez in the first inning and then airmailed an easy throw to first base in the second to gift a pair of runs to Philadelphia. But in his final five innings of work, Ureña was solid.
He finished his seven innings giving up just two runs (only one earned run) while striking out six and walking just one Phillie. It was his second straight strong outing after he delivered seven innings of one-run ball against the Rockies over the weekend, but the second time an at-bat against a pitcher unraveled Ureña.
Ureña lowered his ERA to a season-low 4.28, but is still searching for his first win. The Marlins have lost all seven of his starts.
He didn’t help himself in the opening two innings.
On the fourth pitch of the evening, Ureña guided a 94-mph fastball down the heart of the plate to Hernandez, who launched it
into the shrubbery beyond center field. It was the second time this season Ureña allowed a leadoff homer; Chicago’s Ian Happ did it on Opening Day. Ureña also hit a batter in the first before coaxing a double-play ball.
In the second inning, Ureña looked to escape unharmed after giving up a two-out double to Pedro Florimon. He intentionally walked Jorge Alfaro to pitch to Nola. Ureña aimed for weak contact. Nola gave it to him, tapping a grounder back to the mound.
Then Ureña sailed a throw high and wide of first baseman Justin Bour, one-hopping its way into the seats down the rightfield line. Florimon scored and the Phillies took a 2-0 lead.
After that, Ureña found his stride and his slider. He threw 37 sliders on Wednesday night — he only threw 35 fastballs — and picked up eight swinging strikes with the pitch.
On the other side, Nola dominated. He allowed just one Marlin to reach second base, and a nifty pickoff of Miguel Rojas in the second inning killed a potential Miami rally. Lewis Brinson also walked against Nola in the second, and he ended the inning when he was erased trying to steal second base.
Nola exited in the eighth inning, retiring 17 straight batters before Brinson’s single knocked him out of the game. He racked up seven strikeouts and threw 101 pitches.
Junichi Tazawa gave up two runs in the eighth. Dillon Peters yielded two more in the ninth.
The Marlins entered the game on a roll following a 5-17 start to the season. They took a series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles. They beat the Rockies twice and then the Phillies twice more to open the series.
Miami’s pitching allowed 15 runs in seven games, anchored by stellar outings from unheralded starters like Caleb Smith and Jarlin Garcia.
“I think we know a little bit more about our club,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said before the game. “Maybe they’re understanding who we are a little bit more. Going back the last seven to 10 days, it’s really been pitching that’s really been carrying us.”