Marlins hope to end losing streak tonight against the Mets

After seven straight losses, the Miami Marlins hope to find their way into the win column tonight as they host the New York Mets for a three-game series.

A friend of mine jokingly said that because the Marlins only lost 1-0 on Wednesday night to the Tampa Bay Rays things were looking up. I brushed it aside but thought about it for a minute. I’m not one to say is it this team is going to turn the corner anytime soon, but Miami did look better in the loss that once again showed the Marlins inability to score runs.

The Marlins were swept by their in-state rivals, both by shutouts.

Solid pitching performances are being squandered because of a lack of production at the plate. And moving baserunners around the diamond has become a lost art form. As the Marlins begin a three-game series with division rival New York tonight, the countdown is on.

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Will the Marlins be able to score runs, and when will the seven-game losing streak end? If not, when will fans see more changes to the lineup and potentially the coaching staff?

Now, with Miami gripping and searching for the all-inclusive victory, Trevor Richards tries to end a five-game losing streak of his own. Richards is now 0-5 with a 4.46 ERA. Can his changeup fool the Mets batters enough that he can give Miami a quality start?

The ball club has not scored a run in 24 innings. At 10-31, the team is off to its worst start in franchise history.

Some MLB pundits are predicting this could be the worst team in major league history in terms of wins and losses. Miami is on track to win 40 games this year, well below any prediction of how this team should be improved in 2019. Just for the record, any improvements this teammates, even in the slightest fashion, will be cheered as if it was groundbreaking.

The lineup must get to Mets starter Jacob deGrom early. Miami has not played with a lead in some time. Opponents are batting .200 against Richards when he uses his changeup. He added a cut fastball to his arsenal and needs to find more consistency on the bump. Of all his pitchers, he throws the changeup 35 percent of the time, followed but the cutter (13.2 percent) and his fastball, which he tosses 10.3 percent of the time.

In deGrom, the Mets are sending out a pitcher who is getting better as the season moves forward. In his three starts this month, he has pitched 21 innings with a 1.29 ERA and 21 strikeouts.