Team’s timing is way off
Slump keeps Marlins from gaining ground
MIAMI — Of all the weeks to stop hitting and winning, the Miami Marlins picked a bad one.
Miami’s hot streak came to a sudden stop with a 1-6 stretch against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins scored three or fewer runs in all but one of those games.
But here’s the part that hurts: The Colorado Rockies, who for now hold the final playoff spot in the National League, went 1-5.
The Marlins are five games behind the Rockies for the second NL wild-card berth, through Sunday’s games. Had the Marlins put together even a so-so 3-4 week, they would be only three back.
“The timing of that is not great,” manager Don Mattingly said, “but that’s what is happening right now.”
In a span in which the Marlins could have made up major ground, they were instead swept by the Nats, the NL East leaders who they usually hold their own against, and lost three of four to the Phillies, who have the worst record in the majors and who the week prior lost three of four to Miami.
Ahead of the Marlins but behind the Rockies are the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, setting the stage for an eventful final four weeks of the regular season.
Highlighting the Marlins’ schedule the rest of the way is a home series against the Brewers (Sept. 15-17) and a road trip to the two current wild-card teams: Arizona (Sept. 22-24) and Colorado (Sept. 25-27).
Other than that, it’s all intra-division games, including a combined 11 against the lowly Atlanta Braves and Phillies.
FanGraphs, the baseball analytics website, pegged the Marlins’ wild-card odds at 3.7 percent Sunday.
“People were asking about [getting to .500], well, we haven’t accomplished anything. Just because we got to .500 doesn’t mean it’s over,” Christian Yelich said. “We have to keep going. We haven’t been able to do that so far. Obviously we have time left, but there’s a sense of urgency. You need to win all of them you can.”
Stanton’s major award
Giancarlo Stanton was named the National League Player of the Month for August.
During a month in which he thrust himself into the NL MVP conversation and the Marlins back into the fringes of playoff contention, Stanton led the majors in home runs (18, a major league record for August), RBI (37), runs (28 in 29 games) and slugging percentage (.899). And that was on the heels of a July in which he nearly won this award with 12 homers and 23 RBI.
In August, Stanton hit .349 with a .433 OBP. He also stole a base. Of his 38 hits, 24 went for extra bases.
Along the way, Stanton won NL Player of the Week twice — on Aug. 14 and Aug. 28.
This is Stanton’s third career monthly award. He was also Player of the Month in May 2012 and June 2015.
Odds & ends
Ichiro Suzuki set a single-season major league record Sunday with his 84th pinch-hit at-bat of the year. The record was previously 83, held by Lenny Harris, the former Marlins player and coach, when he played for the Mets in 2001. …
First baseman Justin Bour (strained right oblique) went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in the first game of his rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Jacksonville Saturday. He played six innings at first base. In his first at-bat Sunday, he homered. …
Right-hander Chris O’Grady (strained right oblique) started throwing last Monday — a week ahead of schedule — and is aiming to return by the Marlins’ final road trip, which begins Sept. 22 in Arizona. If all goes according to plan, he’ll pitch out of the bullpen. …
With left-hander Dillon Peters in line for another start Wednesday after his impressive debut Friday, the Marlins moved righty Vance Worley back to the bullpen.