The Miami Marlins just dropped their 11th straight game, a brutal 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, and in doing so, they officially tied the Padres at 52-53 for the season. It’s a total freefall for a club that was just 10 games above .500 not long ago. The Padres, on the other hand, are finally celebrating winning a series away from Petco Park for the first time in nearly six weeks.
Bowen’s Unlikely Heroics Spark the Padres
Talk about an unexpected moment, right? In the eighth inning, with left-hander Dax Fulton on the mound for Miami, Padres manager Craig Stammen made the call to pinch-hit 25-year-old rookie Jase Bowen. Bowen, who’s had a tough first year batting just .132 in 53 at-bats with zero extra-base hits, didn’t hesitate. He took the very first pitch he saw and laced it into right field. That two-run single scored Ty France and Jackson Merrill, blowing the lead open to 6-1. That’s the kind of clutch hit that can turn a whole season around for a young guy.
But Bowen wasn’t the only one crushing it. Ty France was a monster out of the cleanup spot, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. This guy’s been locked in since the All-Star break, already hitting his third multi-RBI performance. He’s now got 49 RBIs on the season, actually passing Fernando Tatis Jr. for second-most on the club. And Jackson Merrill? He was on fire too, posting his fourth multi-hit game in his last seven starts, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Don’t forget Luis Rengifo, the new Padre from Milwaukee. He’s been hitting like a beast since joining the team, extending his hitting streak to seven games with a single in his first at-bat against Eury Pérez. He’s batting a ridiculous .458 with two homers and seven RBIs in just eight games with San Diego. On the mound, JP Sears stepped in for an early exit by Randy Vasquez in the third, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three on 55 pitches to snag his third win. Pretty solid all around for the Friars.
The Marlins’ Lineup Is a Black Hole
Let’s be real, this isn’t just a slump anymore for Miami, it’s a full-blown crisis. Eleven straight losses is their longest skid since 2011, and it’s absolutely torpedoing what looked like a promising season. They were cruising at 10 games above .500, and now they’re tied with San Diego at 52-53, a full 3.0 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. This team cannot score runs, period. They’ve put up two runs or less in eight of their last 11 games. On Saturday, their 3-7 hitters went a brutal 0-for-19 with three strikeouts. That’s just unacceptable.
Eury Pérez tried to stop the bleeding in his 19th start of the season, matching his total from last year, but even he couldn’t hold it together. He pitched seven innings, giving up three runs and striking out two. Those three earned runs were the most he’s allowed since May 17. The pitching isn’t perfect, but when your offense is that anemic, what can you really do?
So, what’s next? San Diego is going for the sweep on Sunday afternoon, sending veteran right-hander Walker Buehler to the mound for his 21st start of the season. Miami, desperate to snap this nightmare, will counter with Janson Junk. If the Marlins can’t figure out how to put some runs on the board and stop this historic slide, this season is going to unravel faster than anyone could have predicted. It’s gut-check time for Miami.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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