Miami Marlins shut-out by Pittsburgh Pirates 0-3 as their offence fails - MLB Update
An impressive show by the starter Anibal Sanchez did not save the Miami Marlins from facing a 0-3 defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 22, 2012 at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the last game of the three match series.
It was not for the first time that the Marlins have been shut-out in a game. Their offence has been below par from day one. Few exceptions apart, most of their batters have struggled to become consistent run contributors.
For as long as right-fielder Giancarlo Stanton was present in the line-up, there were some occasions when Miami experienced high scoring games. Ever since he has been lost to injury, the club seems to have forgotten the formulae about how to produce hits
and strike flurry of home-runs in a game.
While the management tried to offset the impact of his absence by having Carlos Lee through trade, it remains to be seen when the latter can produce consistent slugging splashes on the plate.
As Lee was hitless on Sunday, he will be looking to justify his presence in the line-up with improved shows in upcoming games.
Marlins’ starter Sanchez can easily call himself victim from a lack of run support by the offence. As he was incredible in seven innings, the loss that he had to suffer at the end of the game can be disheartening for him.
Furthermore, Sanchez struck-out eight on Sunday.
"I tried to throw something different to get an out, a ground ball or something like that," Sanchez said. "But that's what's happening right now."
Meanwhile, Marlins’ manager Ozzie Guillen heaped praise on his starting pitcher Sanchez. His solid show was one of the few positive things happening in the game for Miami.
"Today we got great pitching from Sanchez, very good pitching," Guillen said. "Maybe just one bad pitch."
As far as the Pirates were concerned, their starting pitcher Jeff Karstens
was infallible in seven innings that he pitched. Similarly, their relief pitchers were scoreless through the last inning.
While the series has come to an end, the Marlins’ miseries have not. Therefore, in order to start winning matches, their players will be fulfilling responsibilities effectively in the forthcoming games.
One will hope that the Marlins shun their decline soon.
Tags: