Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins fall short, despite ninth inning home run.
Marlins offense sputters to sixth loss in last 7 games
MIAMI — The baseball hung in the air for nearly seven seconds during the first inning of the Marlins’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Sunday afternoon. As it did, the infield churned through the motions of an inning-ending popout off Nick Markakis’ bat.
Miami’s infielders watched the ball sail through Marlins Park into shallow left field. Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman, who began the play on first base, circled the diamond. The crowd of 7,435 assumed the inning was over. But Cameron Maybin and Yadiel Rivera didn’t end the play the way everyone anticipated.
The ball dropped between the two players, behind a crumpling Rivera and in front of a still Maybin. Freeman sprinted home to score Atlanta’s first run of the day as Rivera heaved a desperation throw wide of home plate. In his return to his position in left field, Maybin shook his head.
“I thought he said ‘I got it,’ ” Rivera said. “So bad communication.”
“Miscommunication,” Maybin said.
“I’m not sure exactly what happened,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Obviously, it’s just miscommunication. I don’t know if Cam’s talking. It depends on who’s calling what. Yadi’s there without saying anything and at some point, if the outfielder says anything, the infielder is going to peel off.”
As Atlanta scored early, the Marlins couldn’t.
Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb surrendered just one Marlins hit — Brian Anderson’s second-inning double — as Miami was nearly shut out for the sixth time in the first 40 games. The Marlins were only shut out eight times all of last season.
Justin Bour broke the shutout with a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth off Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino. But Miami couldn’t muster another baserunner.
Miami (14-26) has now lost six of its last seven games after four consecutive series victories. The Braves (24-15) won their fifth out of their last six games.
After the game, the Marlins held a closed-door, players-only meeting in the clubhouse.
“We have to pay attention to the little details,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “We have to forget about the big picture and start thinking about the little things of the game a little bit more.
Marlins right-hander Jose Ureña (0-6) suffered his sixth loss of the season by giving up three runs in six innings of work. After the defensive lapse in the first inning, Ureña delivered four scoreless innings until Ender Inciarte hit a two-run home run to right field in the sixth inning.
Ureña gave up four hits and struck out five.
“He’s thrown the ball good enough to be better than 0-6,” Mattingly said. “That’s for sure.”
Miami is now 0-9 in games started by Ureña. But the 26-year-old entered Sunday receiving the worst run support in the majors (2.25 runs per game), and the Marlins failed to score while he was in the game Sunday.
“You got to do the things you can control,” Ureña said.
The first-inning misplay was officially ruled a RBI single for Markakis, but was another defensive mistake for the Marlins during the four-game set against the Braves.
During Sunday’s ninth inning, Starlin Castro’s throw to first base on a mundane grounder was too slow to get Inciarte. On Saturday night, Anderson tried to barehand a ball in right field that resulted in an Atlanta run. Later that game, Derek Dietrich allowed a ball over his head that led directly to one run, and indirectly to two more.
“I think we’ve been committing a couple mistakes in the past couple games that you didn’t see because we won one game and the other one, it was a non-factor,” Rojas said. “As a team, we have to pay attention to the little details, to the little things of the game.”
The Marlins managed baserunners against Newcomb, but couldn’t capitalize. Newcomb walked four and the Braves committed an error, but Miami went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position against him.