MIAMI -- Marlins manager Clayton McCullough wore high socks. Players rocked what appeared to be fan-made chains after season-ticket holders took part in pregame selfie day. The vintage teal jerseys looked cleaner than ever.
Everything seemed to be lined up for the Marlins to avoid dubious history.
Instead, a 14-pitch span turned a late Marlins lead into a deficit in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Padres on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park to set a franchise record with their 12th consecutive loss.
“Look, there's no hiding from it,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “It's what it is. 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. 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. So I think that's where [to] turn it around and come back tomorrow, it's going to be staring at us again. We've just got to meet this head-on and continue to go, because there's really no other choice.”
With Miami clinging onto a 3-1 lead in the eighth, McCullough turned to righty Lake Bachar, who entered the series finale with one hold and one save this season, rather than scuffling closer Pete Fairbanks to face San Diego’s middle-of-the-order bats.
Jake Cronenworth singled and Manny Machado crushed a game-tying two-run homer. Two batters later, Jackson Merrill lined a hanging sweeper just over the right-center wall for the go-ahead blast. San Diego later tacked on an insurance run on Luis Campusano’s RBI single.
One constant during this 12-game skid has been the Marlins’ struggles on the mound late in games. The decisive four-run eighth increased the team ERA to 6.47 in the seventh inning or later, and gave the club two blown saves that could’ve ended the streak sooner.
“I've been using Pete in the ninth inning,” McCullough said. “Right now, [going to] continue to do that, and again, like Lake or whoever else we have down there, feel terrific about that. When you talk about [matching up with] parts of the order, but OK, if you get through the eighth, like someone's going to throw the ninth, too. I think I just have to -- and will -- remain very confident in the group we have, and you know what? Right now, we're just not getting it done.”
Another common theme has been the lineup’s lack of production, averaging just 2.5 runs per game and scoring three runs or fewer in 10 of the 12 contests. Eleven of them have been decided by three runs or fewer.
The Marlins manufactured a pair of runs off righty Walker Buehler in the second inning to give them their first lead of at least two runs since the second inning on Monday in Houston.
Kyle Stowers added a leadoff homer to the upper deck in right in the third, and that was it for the game.
“At the end of the day, we're not doing enough to win in the sense that we're not winning these games, right?” Stowers said. “But I don't think we're playing bad at all. How we've been playing, we're playing good enough to win games, but obviously, like I said, we're one play short just about most of the nights.”
Right-hander Janson Junk did an adequate job, limiting San Diego to one run over 4 2/3 innings. Junk, who was making his third start back from the injured list, scattered seven hits, walked none and struck out a season-high-tying six batters.
Junk happened to be the Marlins’ winning pitcher in their last victory, which came on July 9 against the Mariners in his return from the IL.
“It's not fun going through this right now,” Junk said. “It really sucks. I think brighter days are ahead. This team is good. We've shown it before. This is a patch, facing some adversity early out of the break, and I think we'll come out of this stronger.”
In the grand scheme of things, no Major League club has ever reached the postseason in the same season it has dropped 12 in a row. With the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline seven games away, the Marlins could become sellers.
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And yet, 56 contests remain in the regular season. Despite going from 10 games over to two games below .500, Miami is just three back of the final National League Wild Card spot.
“We still feel like we're in a good spot,” Stowers said. “I think we still love our chances. We love this group. We think we're a damn good team. I think it's just more of the micro level of just losing this many times in a row sucks. I'm not thinking about the playoff picture, all that stuff. We just want to win right now, and we want to win every day.”