Marlins still can’t score, fall 2-1 to Phillies

The Marlins on Wednesday night dropped another close tilt, this time falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies and Kyle Kendrick.

Don’t be fooled by the misleading final score. A quick glance at the box score and you might have thought Jose Fernandez and 2010 Roy Halladay were the games’ starting pitchers.

No, there wasn’t a dominant pitching performance on either side. The Marlins and Phillies anemic lineups simply couldn’t get anything going against Brad Hand and Kendrick in the middle game of this three game series.

The score was tied 1-1 after Enrique Hernandez plated Garrett Jones with his sixth double of the season in the bottom of the seventh. Then, Marlon Byrd knocked in the Phillies’ go-ahead run with a one-out eighth inning single off Chris Hatcher, scoring Maikel Franco.

That was all the Phillies needed to best a Marlins squad that is missing two-thirds of its starting outfield.

Six of Miami’s seven hits on the night went for extra bases, including a pair of doubles by Jones and Hernandez’s third career triple.

But without Giancarlo Stanton, the team was unable to deliver the big hit when they needed it.

It was shades of 2013 all over again.

The Phillies actually stranded 10 base runners, to the Marlins six.

Hand went seven framces and allowed just the one run on six hits. He should count his blessings, though, as he issued three walks to just two strikeouts. His defense also bailed him out more than once. Christian Yelich and Adeiny Hechavarria combined on a play to nab Byrd at the plate in the second, and in the fourth Casey McGehee doubled Ben Revere off third base on a lineout by Byrd.

Of course Byrd had the last laugh with the go-ahead RBI in the eighth.

If you are a fan of the old-fasion win-loss record, then Kendrick must resemble Cy Young when he faces the Marlins. Wednesday’s win improved his career mark to 14-3 against them. But anyways.

He also went 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI in what should be his final start of the season.

The Phillies’ pitcher notching three of their nine hits on the night is the perfect metaphor for how their lineup has looked all year. The aging Phillies are featuring a shell of what’s left of their 2008 World Series championship team, including over-the-hill versions of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.

With changes on the horizon this offseason, Thursday could mark the last time we see this Phillies core that has haunted the Marlins for nearly a decade.

The Marlins send Andrew Heaney to the mound for Closing Day at Marlins Park Thursday evening.