The Miami Marlins will be heading into uncharted waters when they open a three-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.
The Marlins have lost a franchise-record 12 consecutive games, setting the new mark with a 5-3 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Miami blew a two-run lead with six outs to go in its latest setback.
“Nobody’s more frustrated than we are,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Every day, they’re coming in here, attacking each day their best to come out there and win. And we just haven’t got that done. So it’s certainly not been from a lack of preparation and effort. We just aren’t winning enough moments within games to end this right now.”
For the first time in more than three years, the Marlins were 10 games above .500 following an 8-4 win against the visiting Seattle Mariners on July 9. They were then swept by the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series before the All-Star break and haven’t won since, going 0-9.
“Does anybody feel good? Certainly not, but to come in here each day and cry about it, make excuses. I don’t know what that’s going to do,” McCullough said. “I think we have a very prideful group that is certainly upset, frustrated, angry about how things are going, but we’re the only ones that can change that. And so I think that’s where you turn it around and come back (Monday), and it’s going to be staring at us again.”
Making matters even more difficult is the Marlins will be up against veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler on Monday.
The three-time All Star is 14-4 with a 2.59 ERA in 28 career appearances (all starts) against the Marlins. He has beaten them twice already this season, holding them to one run over six innings in a 6-5 win on May 1 in Miami, and throwing six shutout innings in a 7-0 win on June 15 in Philadelphia.
Wheeler (10-2, 2.16 ERA) is coming off a rare loss in his most recent outing, giving up just two runs over seven innings last Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, but getting out-dueled by Justin Wrobleski in the 2-1 loss.
“It’s a long season, tons of starts,” Wheeler said. “You’ve got to pick your battles and just try to go out there and do well every time.”
Wheeler has 43 strikeouts and just three walks in 24 2/3 innings over his four starts this month.
“Maybe my strikeout numbers aren’t what they have been in my career per game, so I do see that and I wanted to get that back up,” he said. “Maybe with two strikes, I make a little more concerted effort to punch a guy out or take care of the pitch a little bit better maybe so they don’t put it in play.”
Miami plans to send Tyler Phillips to the mound for the series opener on Monday.
Phillips (2-5, 3.52) took the loss after giving up two runs as a first-inning opener on July 12 against the Guardians in a 5-2 setback. He was extended out to 4 1/3 innings in his most recent start last Tuesday, but also took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) in the 5-3 defeat against the host Houston Astros.
The right-hander has made seven appearances against the Phillies in his career, including two starts. He is 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA in those games.
–Field Level Media
