Have the Marlins hit rock bottom following weekend sweep?

The Marlins were swept over the weekend by the Washington Nationals. The team has lost 12 of their last 13 games with their NL East foe.

The Miami Marlins are 48-88 this season by virtue of a 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals from Sunday afternoon.

There are 26 games remaining in the season. There won’t be any celebrations. The talk about improvements in the pitching staff and the youngsters on the roster have been hard to digest. The concentration has been to continue to ride this season out and begin focusing on 2020, presumably with a new manager and a blueprint that has stalled like Hurricane Dorian in the Atlantic Ocean.

These Marlins are chasing another 100-loss season, not progression as we all hoped. It’s been tough on the team and their manager Don Mattingly.

"“Certain teams let you know where you are at,”  Mattingly said, “and these guys are one of those teams.”"

The Marlins know they are a bad baseball team. The Washington Nationals punctuated that with an onslaught on the mound and in the batter’s box. The team misses Brian Anderson, wishes Lewis Brinson was more than he is and hopes the return of veterans Miguel Rojas, Tayron Guerrero, and Jose Urena will give the roster some punch.

For fans, it’s a month left of misery.

"“Over the course of three days in the nation’s capital, [Marlins manager Don] Mattingly was asked repeatedly about just how difficult it is to match up against the Nationals, the best team in the Majors since late May,” writes Zachary Silver of MLB.com. “No reminder of that challenge was really needed, given Washington’s stretch of 12 wins in the past 13 head-to-head meetings.”"

I think that’s what they call domination.

Prior to the start of the season, I predicted the Marlins would win 70 games this season and look like an up-and-coming contender for the playoffs in 2020. I was wrong. There is still plenty of foundation to build on the highest level. The minor league system may be fixed and will continue to grow and develop, but without the right combination in Marlins Park on a nightly basis, it means nothing.

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Maybe the blueprint should be altered. Veterans know just how bad this team has played against their National League East rival.

"“To be able to get to the next step, you have to be able to beat this team,” Rojas said, who went 0-for-4 with a fielding error in his first start off the injured list. “By this sweep, we are going to learn a lot and we are going to move forward, but we have to start playing better baseball.”"

It’s a little too late to make an impact on this season, but the Marlins have a chance to see if they can get some wins, work on their fundamental process and enjoy the month of September. Hopefully, things will be different this offseason. We wish there will be some lumber brought to the yard in Spring Training as veterans on short-term deals and high-priced salaries exit the city.

Things still must change in Miami. The hype of a young pitching staff and youthful hope have been forgotten. The time is now to turn the page and think of 2020. And hopefully, the script and the ending will be better than the one written this season.