MIAMI _ The Marlins' defense abandoned them Monday night.
A pair of embarrassing gaffes dotted the Marlins' first few innings, overshadowing an otherwise solid outing from right-hander Elieser Hernandez in Miami's 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. A botched grounder later cost the Marlins an unearned run, and helped snap Miami's three-game winning streak.
First, there was the fall.
Hernandez completed one of the most awkward plays on a baseball diamond when he fell on the mound trying to deliver a pitch to Zack Godley in the second inning. As he tried to plant his front left leg, his back one gave out and the 23-year-old tumbled onto the mound to the bewilderment of the 6,159 on hand at Marlins Park.
Officially, the play was ruled a balk, advancing Diamondbacks to second and third base. But Arizona couldn't score and Hernandez's clumsy collapse was harmless.
Then, there was the drop. It was more damaging.
With a man on second base, David Peralta lifted a fly ball to Marlins left fielder Derek Dietrich. Dietrich drifted back to the warning track and leapt to meet the ball. But he couldn't squeeze it and Peralta settled into second after driving in a run. The play was ruled a double and the Diamondbacks were gifted a run.
Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro's seventh-inning error resulted in another. Jake Lamb pulled a groundball to Castro in shallow right field, which should have been a routine play for the nine-year veteran. But he booted it, allowing Lamb to reach and the inning to continue long enough for John Ryan Murphy's sacrifice fly.
Hernandez was decent in his four innings, surrendering just two Arizona runs on four hits. He struck out a career-high eight batters, blowing past his previous career high of three strikeouts. Hernandez, a Rule 5 pick from Houston, was making his first start since June 1, filling in for the injured Jose Urena.
Castro hit his fourth home run of the season by launching a solo homer in the fifth inning. Brian Anderson and JT Riddle each had multi-hit nights.
A Marlins eight-inning rally fizzled when Justin Bour flew out to center to leave the bases loaded.
