Marlins fall in a steep slump to start season

The Miami Marlins can’t catch a break this season.

The Philadelphia Phillies came to Marlins Park and took two out of three games in the series after a 2-1 win on Sunday. The loss drops the Marlins to 2-10 on the season.

The Marlins’ only run in Sunday’s game came off Chris Valaika’s RBI single in the seventh, which tied the score at 1-1. The Phillies broke the tie with a run in the ninth inning to get the victory.

Marlins pitching had kept them in the game because of a lack of run production by the team. The Marlins have only scored 20 runs on the season. Pitching changes for the Marlins, from starter Kevin Slowey to Chad Qualls and finally to Jon Rauch, kept the game close until Rauch threw a 90 mph fastball down the middle to the Phillies’ Laynce Nix, who sent it flying to the upper deck in right field for a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning.

The homer was the second game-deciding home run that Rauch allowed in the series.

The Phillies grabbed the 2-1 win to up their record to 6-6, while the Marlins dropped to a confidence-busting 2-10 record. With the Marlins scoring only four runs in the series and getting five hits on Sunday, Marlins manager Mike Redmond said that his team needs to create opportunities at bat.

With the Phillies heading to Ohio to face the Reds, the Marlins play host to the Washington Nationals for a three-game series starting tonight.

After the Braves shut out the Nationals 9-0 on Sunday, the Washington natives come to Miami with a 7-5 record.

Having the home advantage for another series, Redmond said that his team needs to battle for every run going forward.

First pitch begins at 7:10 p.m.