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07-19-2002, 10:06 AM
ATLANTA -- The Marlins snapped one streak Thursday afternoon but, unfortunately for them, it wasn't the growing number in the loss column.
Mike Redmond's RBI single to right in the sixth produced Florida's first run in 16 innings, but it wasn't enough to stop the Marlins' skid in the NL East.
Tom Glavine and the Braves sent the Marlins tumbling to a 3-1 setback at Turner Field, extending the League's longest active losing streak to eight games.
Florida went winless in the three-city, seven-game road swing that began after the All-Star Break.
Frustrated players are blaming poor pitching and non-existent hitting. What they aren't doing is linking the losing to the trades that sent Cliff Floyd to Montreal and Ryan Dempster to Cincinnati.
"I have a hard time believing one person is going to cause a team to lose every game for the rest of the season," center fielder Preston Wilson said. "That's not baseball. That doesn't happen. That's an unfair assessment and, really, kind of a slap in the face to our team to say that one guy who gets traded away from us makes us not win for the rest of the year."
Added All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell, "I know everyone is making a big deal that Cliff is gone. Yeah, we're not the same team without him, but we're not an 0-7 team. This is a joke. We're getting killed every night. Today was [at least] somewhat respectable."
Considering they were trounced 10-0 Wednesday, staying within two runs is indeed progress.
The Marlins have been outscored 64-21 in the slump, as they dropped 15 1/2 out in the NL East. But they remain a half-game ahead of the last-place Phillies, 6-4 losers Thursday to the Cubs.
When Redmond's RBI single drove home Derrek Lee, it marked the first time the Braves had allowed a run in 26 innings.
"Nothing is worse than this," said Marlins starter Julian Tavarez (7-6), who took the loss. "I've never had a road trip like this. This has been the worst of my career."
Like they did Wednesday, the Braves opened Thursday by scoring three times in the first.
Atlanta had four hits in the inning, the key being a two-run single by Chipper Jones. Remarkably, the Braves went hitless the rest of the way.
Tavarez settled in and lasted five innings, striking out three and walking two. Vladimir Nunez then worked two innings and Braden Looper one.
Typifying how bad things have gone for Florida, Tavarez said he felt the game was lost after one inning.
"When I gave up those three runs, I was thinking, there is no way we're going to win this game," he said. "Everybody can see how we're playing.
"You're thinking you have got to pitch a perfect game, I guess. We're not scoring many runs. We've been struggling on this whole road trip. We go out there thinking, if we give up two runs, we're going to lose this game."
The Marlins last lost eight in a row on Aug. 12-21, 2001.
A big part of the problem has been tough opposing pitching. In Chicago, the Marlins ran into Kerry Wood, Matt Clement and Mark Prior. In New York, they squared off against Al Leiter. The task then got considerably tougher in Atlanta, getting Greg Maddux and Glavine.
"We definitely faced tough pitching, but that doesn't mean we keel over," said Lowell, whose average dropped to .302. "We faced tough pitching before the All-Star break. Say what you want, but Cliff never pitched for this team. And there are eight other guys that hit in this lineup."
The Marlins left 11 runners on base Thursday, including Juan Encarnacion, who singled in the ninth. With two outs, Wilson sliced a line drive to right field that Gary Sheffield ran down for the final out, despite colliding with the wall.
A dejected Wilson spiked his helmet into the ground.
Wilson also was involved in a base-running mistake, getting picked off first by Glavine in the sixth. Another botched play on the bases came in the fourth when Redmond swung and missed on a hit-and-run attempt. Kevin Millar, who has only one career stolen base, was caught easily trying to swipe second.
The fact the Marlins have hit a rut on the heels of two trades, Millar says, has more to do with facing pitchers like Glavine and Maddux.
"You don't make a living off these kind of guys," Millar said. "You've got to peck away and hope you score more runs than them. They make their pitches all game long. They're not the best by coincidence. I don't think this team has given up more than two runs in years."
Mike Redmond's RBI single to right in the sixth produced Florida's first run in 16 innings, but it wasn't enough to stop the Marlins' skid in the NL East.
Tom Glavine and the Braves sent the Marlins tumbling to a 3-1 setback at Turner Field, extending the League's longest active losing streak to eight games.
Florida went winless in the three-city, seven-game road swing that began after the All-Star Break.
Frustrated players are blaming poor pitching and non-existent hitting. What they aren't doing is linking the losing to the trades that sent Cliff Floyd to Montreal and Ryan Dempster to Cincinnati.
"I have a hard time believing one person is going to cause a team to lose every game for the rest of the season," center fielder Preston Wilson said. "That's not baseball. That doesn't happen. That's an unfair assessment and, really, kind of a slap in the face to our team to say that one guy who gets traded away from us makes us not win for the rest of the year."
Added All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell, "I know everyone is making a big deal that Cliff is gone. Yeah, we're not the same team without him, but we're not an 0-7 team. This is a joke. We're getting killed every night. Today was [at least] somewhat respectable."
Considering they were trounced 10-0 Wednesday, staying within two runs is indeed progress.
The Marlins have been outscored 64-21 in the slump, as they dropped 15 1/2 out in the NL East. But they remain a half-game ahead of the last-place Phillies, 6-4 losers Thursday to the Cubs.
When Redmond's RBI single drove home Derrek Lee, it marked the first time the Braves had allowed a run in 26 innings.
"Nothing is worse than this," said Marlins starter Julian Tavarez (7-6), who took the loss. "I've never had a road trip like this. This has been the worst of my career."
Like they did Wednesday, the Braves opened Thursday by scoring three times in the first.
Atlanta had four hits in the inning, the key being a two-run single by Chipper Jones. Remarkably, the Braves went hitless the rest of the way.
Tavarez settled in and lasted five innings, striking out three and walking two. Vladimir Nunez then worked two innings and Braden Looper one.
Typifying how bad things have gone for Florida, Tavarez said he felt the game was lost after one inning.
"When I gave up those three runs, I was thinking, there is no way we're going to win this game," he said. "Everybody can see how we're playing.
"You're thinking you have got to pitch a perfect game, I guess. We're not scoring many runs. We've been struggling on this whole road trip. We go out there thinking, if we give up two runs, we're going to lose this game."
The Marlins last lost eight in a row on Aug. 12-21, 2001.
A big part of the problem has been tough opposing pitching. In Chicago, the Marlins ran into Kerry Wood, Matt Clement and Mark Prior. In New York, they squared off against Al Leiter. The task then got considerably tougher in Atlanta, getting Greg Maddux and Glavine.
"We definitely faced tough pitching, but that doesn't mean we keel over," said Lowell, whose average dropped to .302. "We faced tough pitching before the All-Star break. Say what you want, but Cliff never pitched for this team. And there are eight other guys that hit in this lineup."
The Marlins left 11 runners on base Thursday, including Juan Encarnacion, who singled in the ninth. With two outs, Wilson sliced a line drive to right field that Gary Sheffield ran down for the final out, despite colliding with the wall.
A dejected Wilson spiked his helmet into the ground.
Wilson also was involved in a base-running mistake, getting picked off first by Glavine in the sixth. Another botched play on the bases came in the fourth when Redmond swung and missed on a hit-and-run attempt. Kevin Millar, who has only one career stolen base, was caught easily trying to swipe second.
The fact the Marlins have hit a rut on the heels of two trades, Millar says, has more to do with facing pitchers like Glavine and Maddux.
"You don't make a living off these kind of guys," Millar said. "You've got to peck away and hope you score more runs than them. They make their pitches all game long. They're not the best by coincidence. I don't think this team has given up more than two runs in years."