Miami Marlins starter Tom Koehler struck out seven in his team's 5-0 loss to the New York Mets on Monday.
Koehler had allowed no runs until the sixth inning and all four that scored were unearned. Derek Dietrich's fielding error led to the runs in the frame and cut Koehler's day a little. It was the strongest outing of the spring for Koehler, who will serve as Miami's third starter to begin the season.
The error for Dietrich was a bad sign for Miami, as he could be slated to begin the year as the starting third baseman. Dietrich was at the hot corner for this game and should see extra at-bats in April without Martin Prado available. The Marlins could also turn to Miguel Rojas for some time at third in Prado's absence.
Miami only managed four hits in the loss, but two of them went for extra bases. Marcell Ozuna doubled for the the third time this season, while J.T. Realmuto added his fourth three-base hit of the spring. Both men ended up stranded, on a day that the Marlins went 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
The Marlins used a lineup that consisted of mostly regulars, which makes the low hit total a concern. With only a week to go until the regular season, Miami is running into trouble with clutch hits. Timely hits is an area of the game that the Marlins struggled with in 2016 as well.
The spring schedule will continue to wind down on Tuesday when the Marlins host the Houston Astros at 1:05 p.m.
