DENVER -- When they opened their series against the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night, the Marlins were a club that had its share of close games that ended up going into the loss column. Of their 62 defeats in 2021, 39 were by two runs or fewer. And of those, 22 were of the one-run variety.
It demonstrated that perhaps Miami was close -- not only in those losses, but also to a step in the right direction overall as the franchise continues to push toward the future.
Then came Coors Field and the Rockies.
Colorado completed a sweep with a 13-8 victory over the Marlins on Sunday that echoed the two games that came before it -- Miami fell behind big early, scored some in the later innings and eventually succumbed to defeat in the end. Over their three-day stay in the Mile High City, the Marlins were outscored 34-14.
“Losses are not fun by any means,” said acting manager James Rowson. “Especially when you’re competing hard. But you could see at the end of this game -- there’s a way of losing and a way of battling until the end. These guys never quit, they kept going. It’ll be tough. No doubt about it. … But tomorrow’s game is coming.”
It’ll be tough, indeed, for Miami to wash away the bitter taste of Coors Field after this series. While it was ace Sandy Alcantara sustaining the brunt of the damage in Friday’s 14-2 loss, and Jesús Luzardo following suit in Saturday’s 7-4 defeat, Sunday’s loss came in a bullpen game with Trevor Rogers away on family emergency leave. Right-hander David Hess started and gave up seven runs over one-plus inning.
As had been the theme all weekend, the Rockies’ onslaught came primarily via the home run -- Colorado slugged six of them, including two from C.J. Cron, one of which was a grand slam in the fourth off reliever Sean Guenther. The other Rockies homers came off the bats of Dom Nuñez, Connor Joe (two) and Sam Hilliard.
In keeping with the theme of the series, the Marlins scored too little, too late. Things started off well enough, with Miguel Rojas doubling to open the game and Jesús Aguilar singling him home before an out was made in the first. But the bats fell silent until the fifth, when RBI doubles from Aguilar and Lewis Brinson made it 11-4. Alex Jackson launched his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth, to make it 12-7. Aguilar tacked on another run on a solo homer in the ninth to cap the Marlins' tally at 8.
Sunday’s contest provided an apt summation of the Marlins’ frustration this weekend when Rojas was ejected for arguing with first-base umpire Mark Carlson over a check-swing call that resulted in a strikeout in the third inning.
“I feel like there was a lot of frustration from the last couple of days,” Rojas said.
“Being able to have the lead for the first time in a couple days and then all of a sudden it’s 7-1. And all I have to say is that a couple of [the Rockies’] hitters in the inning before, before Connor Joe hit that homer, he checked his swing. I’m not saying [whether he swung or not], but it’s kind of the same situation right there.
“Why, when the game is 7-1, did the umpire decide to call strike three on me when I checked my swing? And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t even close to being that far over there for him to call me out on strikes right away. … I’m not proud of the way I acted, but sometimes in the game, in the heat of the moment, you can’t really control your emotions or the things that you say.”
Rojas’ departure was another hit to Miami’s infield depth after starting second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was a late scratch from the lineup due to flu-like symptoms. Then, moments after the Rojas ejection, Jorge Alfaro had to come out of the game in the middle of a plate appearance in the third inning due to shortness of breath.
Going forward, Rowson stressed the importance of the young Marlins learning to put games like these behind them before showing up to the ballpark the next day. In this case, that’ll be Monday night at Petco Park to open a three-game series against the Padres.
“I think morale only shifts if you let it,” Rowson said. “If you can’t evaluate and assess some of the things that happened, and you don’t have a way or can’t figure out how to move on to the next day, then all of a sudden, morale shifts. ... That’s why baseball’s tough. It’s a long season, there are some losses -- especially if you lose a few times in a row, it can wear on you if you let it.
“The challenge is to not let it.”