Mat Latos struggled mightily in his debut as the Miami Marlins fell to the Atlanta Braves 12-2 on Tuesday.
Latos was unable to get out of the first inning and allowed seven runs along the way. The Braves were able to tee off on a fastball that was slower than Latos' typical heater. In addition, the right-hander had difficulty spotting his off-speed pitches.
With Latos out of the game after only picking up two outs, the Marlins turned to Brad Hand. The lefty gave his team a chance to come back with 4.1 strong innings of relief. Hand allowed only one hit and struck out three in the effort. It was a good sign for Miami as the team will likely need to count on Hand often early in the season.
Miami had a great opportunity to trim Atlanta's lead in the bottom of the first inning but came up empty. For a second straight day, the Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out and were unable to score a run. Once again, a double play killed the rally for Miami and set the tone for what was a tough day offensively.
As a team, Miami was 0-6 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base.
Donovan Solano's pinch-hit triple was a lone bright spot for the Marlins and also the team's only extra-base hit. Giancarlo Stanton was not given much of a chance to help his team as the Braves walked the slugger three of the four times he came to the plate.
The Marlins who are now 0-2 this year will once again look for their first win on Wednesday when Tom Koehler takes on the Braves.