NEW YORK -- Two days after a 3-2 loss to the Mets, Marlins manager Don Mattingly looked back at the heartbreaking ending in retrospect.
The game was tied at two apiece in the ninth inning when Anthony Bass’ slider grazed Mets outfielder Michael Conforto's elbow and then ricocheted into catcher Chad Wallach’s mitt. It looked like home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa was going to call Conforto out on strikes, but Conforto said he was hit by the pitch. Kulpa agreed, which allowed Luis Guillorme to score the winning run from third.
Mattingly argued the call and the umpires then talked it over, but the play stood. On Saturday morning, ahead of Miami's 3-0 win, Mattingly thought about what he could have done differently to get Kulpa to look at the play in the Marlins’ favor.
“ ... I guess I could have said, ‘This is a rules check,’ but [Kulpa] wasn’t checking if it was a strike or ball,” Mattingly said. “The first thing he tells me was that [the ball] hit [Conforto].
“It is a situation as a manager I want to learn from where my conversation can be better and get them to think, get them to talk, get them to get together and maybe make the right decision at that point... I think we are rehashing something that is not going anywhere.”
Although it was a disappointing loss on Thursday, Mattingly said it’s time to turn the page -- and the Marlins did just that.
“We got to try to get our guys in a rhythm. We haven’t swung the bats particularly well,” Mattingly said. “We’ve thrown the ball [well] at times. We had a little inconsistency out of the bullpen … So we need to find our rhythm and get going.”
Worth noting
• Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro was scratched from Saturday’s lineup with lingering tightness in his left hamstring, the Marlins announced.
• Miami had the day off on Friday, but with COVID-19 protocols in place, they were only able to do so much. The team could leave the hotel for exercise and dine outdoors, but the players had to let somebody know they were leaving the hotel.
“It was a little different than last year. We could actually get out and move around,” Mattingly said.