{"id":46711,"date":"2021-05-05T23:30:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T03:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=46711"},"modified":"2021-05-06T03:37:44","modified_gmt":"2021-05-06T07:37:44","slug":"marlins-diamondbacks-20210505","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/05\/05\/marlins-diamondbacks-20210505\/","title":{"rendered":"Marlins Use Five Pitchers to Blank Diamondbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marlins 8, Diamondbacks 0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ross Detwiler, Jordan Holloway, John Curtiss, Anthony Bender, and Zach Pop combined to allow zero runs on five hits as the Miami Marlins blanked the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-0, Wednesday night. Adam Duvall added a three-run homer and RBI single to pace the Marlins to victory.<\/p>\n

Marlins Jump on Diamondbacks Early<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver allowed two runs in the bottom of the first after a walk and three singles. It took 33 pitches for him to get out of it. The second inning frustrated him even more, as he allowed four runs. The coup de gr\u00e2ce in that four-run inning was a three-run dinger by Adam Duvall that made the score 6-0.<\/p>\n

Weaver did well in the third and fourth, retiring all six hitters he faced. Three came via the strikeout.<\/p>\n

But the damage had already been done.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a devastating blow,\u201d Weaver said after the game. \u201cHow are you supposed to come back from six runs after two innings? It\u2019s beyond frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bats Go Silent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks simply could not score.<\/p>\n

Catcher Stephen Vogt doubled in the third inning but advanced no further. Third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Eduardo Escobar both walked in the fourth but ended the inning standing on second and first, respectively. Shortstop Nick Ahmed led off the fifth with a single but ended the frame forced at second on a grounder by center fielder Tim Locastro. Left fielder David Peralta and Ahmed hit back-to-back one-out singles in the seventh. Peralta advanced to third on a fly to right, but a strikeout by Josh VanMeter rendered the hits moot. A Christian Walker single went for naught in the eighth. Ahmed walked in the ninth. Walker and Ahmed both ended their half-innings stranded on second. In total, the Diamondbacks left eight men on base \u2014 five in scoring position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t exactly the way we drew it up,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo understated after the game. \u201cThere\u2019s no excuse. We need to do a better job.\u201d Of their five hits, only one came with a runner on base \u2014 and that runner was not in scoring position.<\/p>\n

Marlins Put Diamondbacks in Bigger Hole<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Diamondbacks reliever Joakim Soria took the hill in the eighth for his first appearance since April 4. It did not go well. He allowed three hits in the inning \u2014 a single, an RBI double, and an RBI single \u2014 to give the Marlins their final two runs and make the score 8\u20130.<\/p>\n

Weaver (1\u20133) took the loss, while Holloway earned the win in relief. The Diamondbacks (15\u201315) hope to salvage one win in the three-game series against the Marlins (13\u201316) Thursday evening. Madison Bumgarner (3-2, 5.58 ERA) will be on the bump for the Diamondbacks against Marlins starter Pablo Lopez (0-2, 2.34 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 pm Arizona Time.<\/p>\n

Weaver Might Be Running Out of Starts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Weaver has started six games in 2021. His second start was the one-hit gem against the Cincinnati Reds on April 11, where he took a no-hitter into the seventh. His other starts have not been good. He has allowed three earned runs or more in each of those. Only once has he lasted into the sixth inning. In the one-hitter, he pitched seven scoreless innings, earning an impressive Game Score of 82. The others have been a different story. In chronological order, their Game Scores are 52, 33, 40, 40, and 30.<\/p>\n

For a team with rotation struggles, this must improve, and fast. Lovullo hinted that time might be running out for Weaver to stay in the rotation. \u201cEverybody is evaluated, and we\u2019re going to talk about this. We will see where we have to go,\u201d explained Lovullo.<\/p>\n

The fact that Weaver can pitch shutdown innings, such as the third and fourth on Tuesday night, makes this decision tougher than it might otherwise be. \u201cYou can see how effective he can be when he\u2019s landing his pitches,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cThere were some quality moments and quality sequencing. However, when he gets a little predictable or has to make some pitches on the plate, these hitters are good. They\u2019ll take advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A House of Horrors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This loss ran the Diamondbacks\u2019 all-time record at loanDepot (formerly Marlins) Park to 15\u201317. Under Lovullo, the team is now 5\u20139 in that stadium. That is something Lovullo discussed with his staff after the game. \u201cWe try not to leave anything unturned. We\u2019ve got to figure that out,\u201d referring to why the Diamondbacks struggle in that ballpark. \u201cI don\u2019t know the reason why, but we\u2019re going to keep searching for that reason. When we do, we\u2019re going to figure it out and be pretty good here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>