Can only get better from here?

 

No way around it. The Marlins have started the Season as bad as it gets in the Win/Loss column. A straight O for 5 to commence 2024. Frustration was palpable inside the Marlins Dugout last night. A 4 Game Sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates was followed by a 7-4 Loss to the Angels to commence a new Series and the month of April, all at Home.

The Marlins lost a 3 Run Lead on Opening Day, a 5 Run Advantage on Sunday, and a 4-0 start to yesterday's Game. The Shutdown Inning from their Starters has been nonapparent each time the Fish have scored first, from Jesus Luzardo on Opening Day, to Trevor Rogers & Max Meyer having both been given big leads in the First Inning. Not to mention short Starts from A.J Puk & David Weathers. 

The Marlins Offense is the one that does seem to shutdown after some early hot starts. The Fish bats went 0-14 over the final 6 Innings on Opening Day in route to their 12 Inning Defeat against the Bucs. Yesterday, the Club did not put up a single Run after scoring 4 in the First, despite having a Runner reach second base with nobody out in the 4th, 5th, and 6th Innings against the Halos.

Control problems seem to have carried over from Spring Training for Closer Tanner Scott, while the rest of the Bullpen has blown 3 Saves already this Season, including George Soriano last night, who was kind of thrown under the bus by Manager Skip Schumaker. Schumaker to boot, hasn't done himself many favors with the Bullpen in the early going. From going to Andrew Nardi/Anthony Bender a little early on Opening Day, which forced his hand in needing Sixto Sanchez to Pitch the 8th Inning of a 1 Run Game for his first ever Relief Appearance. To going to Nardi/Bender/Sanchez again on Saturday while trailing, which in turn made them all unavailable while clinging to a 2 Run Lead on Sunday, a Lead Vladimir Gutierrez couldn't hold over 4 Innings of Relief.

Gutierrez, whose since been DFA'd, had his Contract Selected Sunday and not inexplicably Saturday, after Burch Smith went multiple (not so good) Innings Friday. Why Smith remained on the 26 Man Roster going into Saturday's Game instead of suffering the same fate as Gutierrez, is only Peter Bendix's guess. A decision that may have cost the winless Marlins a Game.

As you can see, it's been a perfect storm here of sorts for the Marlins to start 2024 (and we're not talking rain with such beautiful weather), and though ya never wanna drop 5 in a row at Home, it is only 5 Games. There's 157 of these puppies to go. Let's see if the Fish can get off the schneid here and begin to take some pressure off themselves. Luzardo, who was more than fine on Opening Day, takes the ball against a Halos Team the Peruvian Lefty has had his way with as a Marlin, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA over 10 Innings in Anaheim the last 2 Seasons, only 2 BB's in those Contests and 19 K's.

Remember, it was in Anaheim last year where the '23 Marlins kind of began to turn around their Season, and with Luzardo on the Mound never the less to begin a 3 Game Sweep of the Shohei Ohtani Angels at the time. The Fish had gone into that Series a Game Under .500 after having dropped 3 of 4 in Colorado in late May, and kind of began to surge after busting out the brooms on the Halos. Who knows, maybe today the Marlins with Luzardo can pick up Win Número Uno and truly begin their 2024 Campaign. After all, it's only been 5 Games 😉. #GoFish