The Miami Marlins ended the first half on a down note with a 9-1 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday.
The defeat was the fourth in a row for Miami and was also the completion of a three-game sweep by New York. The loss also dropped the Marlins to fourth place in the division and put their record at 44-50.
Brad Hand made the start and struggled before being lifted due to a bruised right shin. Hand was hit with a ball that went back at the mound and was likely not going to be in the game much longer regardless.
The left-hander allowed three runs on six hits in his four innings of work. Hand also walked two and saw his E.R.A inflate to 5.26 for the year. Hand is now 0-2 and could be in danger of losing his rotation spot once again when the second half begins.
Jacob Turner gave the Marlins three innings of relief but he did not pitch well either. Turner who would likely be demoted to AAA if he had minor-league options allowed a pair of runs on four hits that put the game more out of reach.
In the eighth with the Mets already leading by four, Kevin Gregg entered and loaded the bases with nobody out. The veteran was quickly lifted after the hit and two walks in favor of Chris Hatcher.
The right-hander walked in a run to begin his day and ended up allowing all three inherited runners to score. Hatcher also gave up a run of his own for good measure before being lifted after retiring a single batter. Sam Dyson was able to qucikly put away the next two hitters and end the inning.
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The one run for Miami came across in the fourth inning on a single by Marcell Ozuna. The center-fielder now has 53 runs batted in on the season. Giancarlo Stanton who has struggled lately was 0-1 but did reach base twice via walks.
The Marlins will begin the second half on Friday against the San Francisco Giants. No starter has been announced as of yet for the game.
