The Marlins’ season keeps drifting toward the finish line, and Sunday brought another flat ending. Miami was swept by the Padres after a 7-3 loss in San Diego, and the result left the Marlins without a win in six meetings with the Padres this year.
That season series wipeout is a rare one for Miami. It marked just the eighth time in franchise history the club failed to win a game in a season set of six or more.
Sandy Alcantara took the mound for his first start since picking up his first career save Wednesday, but San Diego got to him early and often. Alcantara allowed four runs over six innings, pushing his season ERA to 3.91. The Marlins have now dropped each of his last eight starts, and he has a 5.21 ERA in that stretch.
Jake Cronenworth did the bulk of the damage. He opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning, then added an RBI double in the fourth before putting the game away with another two-run homer in the eighth.
Cronenworth’s day stood out for another reason, too. Among the 209 MLB hitters who entered Sunday with at least 375 plate appearances, his 72 adjusted OPS+ ranked seventh-worst. His 325-foot homer was tied for the third-shortest in Petco Park history.
Miami did show a little life in the seventh inning. Walker Buehler, who worked into the seventh for the first time this season, gave up a three-run homer to Javier Sanoja. It was Sanoja’s first career season with double-digit home runs.
The Padres, now 87-69 and winners of nine of their last 10, are tied with the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot. Miami, meanwhile, needs to win out to finish above .500 and must go at least 4-2 to top last season’s record.
The schedule turns quickly for the Marlins. After a light Monday around Major League Baseball, they head to Chicago for a three-game set against the Cubs that opens Tuesday. Janson Junk, who is 6-9 with a 4.50 ERA, is scheduled to start the opener at Wrigley Field, with first pitch set for 7:40 EST.
In Other News...
Jose Fernandez Delivered One Last Marlins Masterpiece Fans Still Feel
Two days before the end of that September series, Jos Fernndez put together the kind of night that reminded the Marlins what they had and what they were trying to build. Facing the Nationals on Sept. 20, 2016, he worked eight scoreless innings, gave up just three hits and struck out 12, all while the game stayed tight enough to feel like every pitch mattered. Giancarlo Stantons go-ahead home run provided the margin in a 1-0 win, and David Phelps handled the ninth to finish it off.
For Miami, it was more than just another victory in a lost season. Fernndez had a way of turning even ordinary regular-season starts into events, and this one fit the pattern perfectly, with dominant stuff, no walks and just enough offense to make it stand up. It remains one of those Marlins games fans still circle back to, not only because of how sharp he was, but because it felt, in real time, like a reminder of something the franchise could never fully replace. [Read more 🡒]
Jose Fernandezs Final Marlins Start Still Hits Miami Fans Hard
Ten years later, Jose Fernandezs final start for the Marlins still lands with a punch because it was so unmistakably his: electric, overpowering and full of the kind of presence that made every outing feel bigger than the box score. He went eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, giving Miami one last glimpse of the ace who had already become a two-time All-Star and the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year.
For Marlins fans, the sting is tied to how quickly it all changed after that night. Fernandez died in a boating accident five days later, leaving behind a career and a life that ended far too soon, and a franchise still shaped by the loss. His dominance at home, where he went 29-2 with a 1.49 ERA in 42 starts, only deepens the sense of what Miami got to see, and what it lost, in such a short span. [Read more 🡒]
Sandy Alcantara Gets A Tough Shot To Stop A Marlins Sweep
The Padres head into Sunday with a chance to finish off a sweep in Miami after taking the first two games of the series. Walker Buehler gets the start for San Diego, while the Marlins will hand the ball to Sandy Alcantara in the finale, a matchup that gives Miami a chance to slow the momentum before the series gets away.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PT, with coverage on Padres.TV, the MLB app and radio. For the Marlins, it is a tough spot but a familiar kind of test - asking Alcantara to steady things against a Padres club that has already done enough to put the pressure squarely on the home side. [Read more 🡒]