Stat Wrap 5/27: Miami Marlins Lose To Baseball’s Worst

If it ever was funny, it certainly isn’t any longer.

One day after putting up their greatest margin of victory of the season and second highest run total of the season, the Miami Marlins couldn’t seem to manage to beat the worst team in the majors for the fourth time this season, dropping Friday night’s contest 4-2 to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.  The team has now lost seven of its last ten and, despite yesterday’s feel good outburst from the JV lineup, desperately needs Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich to return to the lineup.

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Adam Conley ran his pitch count high early, and Martin Prado somehow managed to avoid being charged with an error as a Nick Markakis liner bounced off his glove to allow the winning runs to score in the bottom of the 8th with David Phelps on the mound to draw his third loss of the season.  Marcell Ozuna did however extend his hitting and on base streaks, and sports the highest batting average on the team amongst position regulars at .343 thanks to a 3 for 4 night.  The best average, however, goes to legend Ichiro Suzuki at .351, who pushed his career tally to 2,961 with his fourth double of the year.

But there’s really no sugar coating this one, as the Marlins are reaching chronically pathetic levels when playing division rivals.  Even with Stanton and Yelich out of the lineup, there’s no justification for losing to a team that doesn’t even warrant the cliché comment that “they’re professional ballplayers too.”  If you want further proof of this, see this photo evidence of an optimistic Braves fan watching his team:

Everything will be right as rain if the Marlins can win these next two…but the pressure is on big time.  In any event, now we Stat Wrap:

• Ichiro Watch: 2,961 on the career, 39 to go, thanks to a 1 for 4 night.
• Ozuna Watch: 9-game hit streak, 34-game on base streak.
• David Phelps is 3-3 with an ERA of 1.93 this season.
• Yet he’s 0-2 against the Braves this year.
• Christian Yelich did pinch-hit and draw a walk. Fingers crossed he’s back soon.
• Nick Markakis is batting .238 overall, but .437 with 6 RBIs against the Marlins.
• Fun fact: Fredi Gonzalez was fired one year to the day after Mike Redmond.
• The Marlins are 10-16 (.384) against the NL east, but 15-7 (.681) against anyone else.
• Only four other teams are division losers but overall winners against the rest, and none come close to matching the Marlins disparity.