WASHINGTON _ And so ends another season for the Miami Marlins.
Mercy came in the form of an Xavier Scruggs grounder in a 10-7 loss to the Nationals. Third baseman Stephen Drew scooped it and fired to first for a game- and season-ending out. The Marlins milled about in the dugout for a moment, then filed down the stairs into the clubhouse, off soon their separate ways for the winter.
The Marlins finished in third place in the NL East, 15 { games behind the division-champion Nationals, the club's best position in the standings since 2009, when it came in second six games back. Miami's stretch of losing season stretches to seven in a row, its run of playoff-less seasons to 13.
A season that began with a new manager and coaching staff and genuine hopes of postseason contention gave way to a second-half, injury-induced swoon that rendered the final weeks of the season mostly meaningless as the Marlins' realistic playoff chances dwindled. On top of that, the tragic death of ace Jose Fernandez in a Sept. 25 boating accident sends the Marlins into the offseason with heavy hearts and a hole to fill in their rotation.
"Obviously the circumstance of the end just dramatically change the final thought of the season," manager Don Mattingly said. "But as we look back, I think we generally feel good about the club and the direction it's going. As you get back to the end, you realistically look back and look at your club.
"I think us being able to play in a pennant race deep, going down to almost the end, playing meaningful games is going to be something that _ I can't say it will benefit us, but it has the chance to really benefit us if we're going to be able to take that next step."
Sunday's finale brought a welcomed air of levity. Third baseman Martin Prado served as the acting manager for the day, catcher Jeff Mathis his bench coach. Mattingly brought that last-day tradition with him from his days as the New York Yankees hitting and bench coach under Joe Torre in the mid-2000s.
"To be honest with you, (Mattingly) mentioned so much stuff (Saturday) that you have to be aware of _ they're always making decisions even before it happens," Prado said. "So was kind of like, 'Man, you got a tough job.'
"Sometimes you don't realize how hard it is to be a manager. That's why I have so much respect for them."
Prado went 1 for 2 and played two innings in the field before sticking to his bench work. With the Nationals leading and threatening for more, he pulled righty Tom Koehler in the fourth inning.
Koehler, in his career-high 33rd start of the season, allowed five runs in three innings on a day he struggled with his control, walking five and throwing fewer than half of his pitches for strikes. Still, he ends the year with the second-most innings on the team (176 2/3, just 5 2/3 behind Fernandez) and is poised to enter 2017 as the team's most reliable and durable starting pitcher.
Right fielder Destin Hood and catcher Tomas Telis both their first career home runs for the Marlins.
