Diamondbacks Report: What Went Wrong in Miami against the Marlins
The Arizona Diamondbacks embarked on a six-game road trip riding high. They had won 10 of their previous 13 games, improving their record to 15–13. First on the schedule was a three-game series in Miami against the Marlins. Given the records of the teams, there was reason to believe that the Diamondbacks would win the series with the Marlins and continue their winning ways.
However, the three games did not go according to plan. It is natural to ask what went wrong. Well, there were a few things.
Runners Left in Scoring Position
In Game One, the Diamondbacks left 10 runners on base. Seven were in scoring position. Game Two saw eight runners left on base, with five in scoring position. Granted, had all those runs scored, the Marlins still would have won, but still…. In Game Three, they left 10 runners on base again. This time, six were in scoring position.
Game One
Game One saw Pavin Smith bat in the second with two outs and the bases loaded. He grounded to first with the pitcher covering. In the sixth, with a run having already scored to cut the Marlins lead to 3–2, David Peralta stood on second with nobody out. He remained there the rest of the inning, as Carson Kelly struck out, Eduardo Escobar popped to short, and Nick Ahmed crushed an atom-ball liner to left.
The biggest disappointment in Game One came in the top of the eighth. A leadoff walk had translated into the equalizing run. Two singles and an error loaded the bases with nobody out. The Diamondbacks had a golden opportunity to have a big inning and put the Marlins in a huge hole. In came sinkerballer Richard Bleier to try to get a double play groundout and minimize the damage. He did more than that, striking out Josh Rojas, pinch-hitter Wyatt Mathisen, and Smith.
Of the runners who reached scoring position, only one scored. As a team, they were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Ouch.
Game Two
As mentioned earlier, the final score of Game Two, 8–0, made the runners left in scoring position not matter as far as the final outcome. However, it still illustrated the trend between the Diamondbacks and Marlins. Stephen Vogt doubled in the second but remained at second for the rest of the inning thanks to a groundout and a strikeout. A pair of walks put Asdrubal Cabrera on second and Escobar on first with one out in the fourth inning. A called strikeout and fly to center by Smith and Peralta, respectively, stranded Cabrera in scoring position. The Diamondbacks had runners on the corners with two out in the seventh, but Josh VanMeter struck out and left them there. Christian Walker reached second with two outs in the eighth, but Escobar struck out looking. Vogt struck out in the ninth to leave Ahmed standing on second.
The Marlins held the Diamondbacks to 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in Game Two.
Game Three
This one hurt the most, since the Diamondbacks wasted a magnificent effort from Madison Bumgarner to give the Marlins the game. In the first, runners were on the corners with two outs, only for Kelly to strike out. That happened again in the fifth. Smith doubled with two outs and runners on first and second in the second inning, driving in a run. But the team only managed that one run, as Cabrera flied to center and left two in scoring position. Escobar stranded one in scoring position in the eighth. He came to the plate with runners on first and second and two out but flied to center. Finally, Cabrera lined to right with a runner on third and two out in the ninth.
The team batted 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in Game Three. This made them 2-for-28 in the series with runners in scoring position.
Timely Hitting for the Marlins, Disastrous Innings for the Diamondbacks Pitchers
The other major factor was the Marlins taking advantage of big run-scoring opportunities. Of the 24 innings where the Marlins batted, Diamondbacks pitchers had four bad innings and two disastrous ones. In the top of the first in Game One, Riley Smith had a bad inning. A two-out walk led to trouble, as a single and home run made the score 3–0. Kevin Ginkel and Alex Young combined for a disastrous eighth inning, allowing six runs on a double, five singles, an intentional walk, and a three-run home run.
Weaver had a bad first inning and disastrous second inning in Game Two. A walk and three singles led to two runs in the first, while a single, a triple, a walk, and a three-run homer led to four runs in the second. Joakim Soria, in his first game back from injury, had a bad seventh inning, as a single, a double, and another single led to two runs.
One bad inning did in the Diamondbacks in Game Three. Yes, there was a leadoff home run in the first inning, but that’s not a bad inning. However, a home run, two singles, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning of a tie game is a bad inning. That is what happened to JB Bukauskas in Game Three.
Looking Ahead
The Diamondbacks must put this behind them going into the Mets series. This is a situation where their lackluster record in loanDepot park can help. It hasn’t mattered through the years what the records of the Diamondbacks and Marlins were. The Marlins have always done well against the Diamondbacks in that ballpark. Psychologically, this can possibly help the Diamondbacks flush away the past and focus on doing well in the games in front of them. “We simply have no luck in that stadium,” they can say. Then they can say, “But Citi Field is different.”
And it is. The Diamondbacks took three of four at Citi Field in 2017. In 2016, they swept a three-gamer at Citi Field. That was a year where the Mets were the defending pennant-winners and made the Wild Card. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, were 69–93 and finished fourth. Hopefully for the Diamondbacks, their 2021 trip to Citi Field can play out like the 2016 and 2017 trips.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players mentioned:
Pavin Smith, David Peralta, Carson Kelly, Eduardo Escobar, Nick Ahmed, Richard Bleier, Josh Rojas, Wyatt Mathisen, Stephen Vogt, Asdrubal Cabrera, Josh VanMeter, Christian Walker, Madison Bumgarner, Riley Smith, Kevin Ginkel, Alex Young, Joakim Soria, JB Bukauskas
