The Miami Marlins are running out of room for error, and their offense picked a brutal moment to go quiet.
At 62-61, Miami is still hanging around the playoff picture, but the margin is thin and the bats have gone ice-cold after a stretch that looked like it might spark something bigger. The Marlins had won four straight, and they scored five runs or more in three of those games. Since then, though, the production has disappeared.
Over the span from the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates to the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, Miami managed just seven hits and one run. That lone run came on Owen Caissie’s solo shot against the Pirates.
The opener against Cincinnati didn’t offer much relief. With the exception of Otto Lopez, every Marlins hitter struck out at least once. Miami also stranded three runners on base and never drew a walk, a rough combination for an offense trying to rediscover any kind of rhythm.
Griffin Conine has been one of the hottest second-half hitters in Major League Baseball, not just on the Marlins, but he was held in check in the series opener, striking out twice. Getting him rolling again would go a long way toward helping Miami turn this around.
The frustrating part for the Marlins is that the talent is there. Several players have shown they can produce at the plate this season, and the upside is obvious. The problem is that everyone seems to have gone cold at the same time.
If the power isn’t showing up, Miami may need to lean on a different approach. Small ball could be the answer here: bunts, putting the ball in play and making the defense work. It’s not flashy, but it can get an offense moving when the big swings aren’t carrying the load.
According to FanGraphs, the Marlins had a 7.7% chance of making the playoffs ahead of game two of the series, with the NL Wild Card their only realistic path. They were three games behind the final spot, trailing division rivals the Philadelphia Phillies, and they can’t afford to fall any further behind.
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