After the bats looked to be on one of the most positive upward trends of the year, they completely died against Boston. Luckily, the Miami Heat came through and beat their Boston-based opponents in the ECF in a thrilling game. The Marlins and Red Sox game was, well, quite the polar opposite. The Red Sox won 2-0, improving their season record to 18-31, as the Marlins fell to 24-22. The Marlins still remain 2nd in the division and in the playoffs, for now.

Marlins pitching >>>

Look, this team has clearly had minor issues when it comes to keeping the opponents at bay. If anyone asks… no, we did not lose 29-9. Why look at that game when we can look at the 30 other positive examples of stellar pitching? Last night, with Sandy Alcantara starting on the mound, the Marlins allowed 2 total runs on 7 hits. Again, normally, when this is the case, we should be celebrating victory afterward. I guess tonight was one of those nights where the bats just couldn’t keep up.

Marlins hitting <<<

I honestly don’t think there’s anything to recap. 0 runs on 4 hits. I’m not really sure what to talk about when it comes to this performance, so let’s look ahead. The Phillies are only a half-game behind us for 2nd in the NL East. The Reds (in 9th place) are only 2 games back. With 14 games left in the season, the Marlins have nowhere near clinched the playoffs. The bats need to pick up where they left off against Philadelphia if they are going to make the final push, and give fans a dream 17 years in the making.

A look at today’s game

Trevor Rogers (1-1, 6.50 ERA) takes the mound versus Mike Kickham (1-0, 5.00 ERA). The Marlins need to capitalize on a weak Red Sox team to put themselves in the best situation possible. These next two games may be the reason the Marlins make the playoffs or don’t