MIAMI — The Miami Marlins’ magic against the defending World Series champions ran out on Thursday.
After winning three games with late-inning heroics, a rough fifth inning paved way to a 6-1 Marlins loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at loanDepot park that capped the four-game series and stopped the Marlins from getting the sweep.
The Dodgers chased Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara by hitting four consecutive singles to start what would ultimately become a five-run fifth inning. Alcantara in two starts against the Dodgers this season allowed 13 runs (11 earned) over 5 1/3 innings, equivalent to an 18.56 ERA. Alcantara has a 2.34 ERA in his other 17 starts this season. David Hess finished the fifth inning before Nick Neidert threw four scoreless innings.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored the Marlins’ only run of the finale, a leadoff home run that went into the upper deck in right field in the first inning. It was Chisholm’s 10th home run of the season.
But while the series ended on a low note, the Marlins believe the first three games showcase the team’s potential at its best.
The Marlins outscored the Dodgers 16-11 the first three games of the series. Jorge Alfaro hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning for the 2-1 win on Monday to begin the series before Miami recorded back-to-back walk-off victories on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“You look at this team the last several days,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said, “and this is what we thought we had. We just need to do it on an everyday basis. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose, but nonetheless when you see it out there, it’s pretty darn exciting.”
Starling Marte made it from second to home on a wild pitch-throwing error combo in the 10th inning for Tuesday’s 2-1 win. Jesus Aguilar hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to cap Wednesday’s 9-6 victory.
“They have some talent over there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday, “and they’ve put it on us the first three days.”
But time is running out to determine how that hope of an extended breakthrough that could vault Miami back into the National League East race will translate into the Marlins’ approach at MLB’s July 30 trade deadline.
Miami is 38-48 on the season, in last place in the National League East and eight-and-a-half games behind the first-place New York Mets.
But, Ng points out, 42 of the Marlins’ final 76 games are against division opponents, starting with their three-game series with the Atlanta Braves to close out their schedule ahead of the All-Star break.
Marte and Aguilar, the two walk-off heroes from Tuesday and Wednesday, will likely attract offers as the deadline approaches as could shortstop Miguel Rojas, outfielder Adam Duvall and late-inning reliever Yimi Garcia.
“If we do any deals,” Ng said, “we’re going to do deals that make sense for us in the long term as well as the short term.”
