MIAMI -- During his past two trips to Marlins Park, Bartolo Colon has endured something he has experienced just 3.8 percent of the starts he has made within a Major League career that is in the early stages of a 20th season.
As he and his Braves teammates dropped to 1-6 with Tuesday night's 8-4 loss to the Marlins, Colon surrendered six earned runs and lasted just four innings. This marked just the 19th time in 502 career starts that the 43-year-old wonder has allowed at least six earned runs while completing four or fewer innings. He's done so in just four of the 97 starts made since the start of the 2014 season.
The past two occurrences have taken place in Miami. He started the first game the Marlins played after Jose Fernandez's death in September last year, and then served as the opposition as Miami celebrated Tuesday's home opener.
"It's tough," Colon said through an interpreter. "Last year, I got that first game after Fernandez passed away, and I think they had a little extra motivation. This year with [the Marlins' home opener] and commemorating Fernandez, as well, I think they were all pretty motivated to perform. That's how it goes."
This is certainly not how it went when Colon opened this season by limiting the Mets to two hits over six innings in last week's debut. Taking the mound six days later, he allowed hits to each of the first three batters he faced and threw 18 pitches before recording his first out -- Justin Bour's long sacrifice fly to left field.
By the time Colon's 35-pitch first inning was completed, the Marlins had a 3-0 lead and the confidence that they might again have their way with the veteran right-hander, who has now allowed 13 earned runs over his last 6 1/3 innings at Marlins Park. He had surrendered a total of nine earned runs in the 35 2/3 innings completed at this park before these past two starts.
"When he got done with the first inning, it felt like they should have had six or eight runs and not three," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I thought he did a good job of damage control with all being said and all that went on in that first inning. You look up and we're in the game. Then he got through the second inning and I was hoping he'd just settle in and find his location and extend the ballgame."

Any hope of Colon settling in faded when Marcell Ozuna began his two-homer performance with a three-run home run in the third inning. The opposite-field shot was the 381st the Braves pitcher has surrendered in his career, but just the 13th on a pitch thrown with an 0-2 count.
"We're not worried about [Colon]," Braves second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "You know his track record. He's very consistent, and today was just not his day. They took advantage of his mistakes and put the ball in play and hit it where we wasn't. But we still believe in all of our pitchers and still believe in all of our players. Now, it's all about putting it all together as a team."