WASHINGTON _ They are fighting right now to avoid setting nearly every mark for season-long futility in the history of the franchise. The Miami Marlins, currently on pace for the second-worst record in franchise history, play more than two-thirds of the final month of the season on the road and a bulk of those are against teams contending for at least a wild-card spot.
On Friday against the Washington Nationals, the 2019 Marlins placed themselves in Miami's record book for one of those unsightly reasons. The Marlins lost on the road again, this time a 6-5 walk-off defeat in Washington, bringing their road losing streak up to a franchise-record 13 straight games. They have not won a game on the road in August and only have one more chance to do so Saturday when they continue a three-game series at Nationals Park against one of the hottest teams in the majors.
There were moments when the streak seemed as if it was maybe heading toward an end and each time, almost immediately, those fleeting moments of optimism were wiped away. Miami scored first in the top of the first on a one-out home run by outfielder Harold Ramirez, who belted a walk-off homer Thursday to beat the Cincinnati Reds, and Washington immediately hit back to take a 2-1 lead into the second. In the seventh inning, the Marlins erased a 4-2 lead against the relief pitcher Hunter Strikland, but they immediately let the Nationals retake a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the frame on a go-ahead double by Juan Soto after relief pitcher Kyle Keller served up a pair of walks.
The ninth-inning nearly made Starlin Castro, one of the hottest hitters in the majors, a hero once again. A go-ahead home run put Miami ahead 6-5 before the lead crumbled in the ninth.
Howie Kendrick led off with a single against pitcher Ryne Stanek and Trea Turner followed him with a walk. Gerardo Parra flubbed a bunt, but catcher Jorge Alfaro flubbed a pitch with a passed ball and the go-ahead run moved to second base with the tying run on third.
The Nationals had exactly who they wanted at the plate. Anthony Rendon ripped a single to left. Chants of "M-V-P" cascaded from the crowd of 26,201 while the Marlins returned to their clubhouse on the wrong end of another one-run game.
