There was a time, quite recently, when it seemed like the Florida Marlins couldn't lose. Now, the Marlins just wish they could remember what it felt like.
After winning 11 of their first 12 games the Marlins have lost seven in a row, and Tuesday night at Citi Field, they'll try to avoid matching their longest skid in more than 18 months when they continue a three-game set against the New York Mets.Florida (11-8) was off to the majors' hottest start after a 7-4 victory at Washington on April 19, but since then manager Fredi Gonzalez's team has been in baseball's longest slump.
The Marlins put up only six runs in a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh, then came home and mustered nine as they were swept by Philadelphia.
The seventh loss in Florida's streak was strikingly similar to its first. The Marlins began a seven-game road trip Monday against the Mets (9-10) by managing only two hits - just like they did in their first loss to the Pirates - and fell 7-1 in New York.
"It's early in the season - we had a great start," Hanley Ramirez told the Marlins' official Web site. "Now we lost seven in a row. We just have to keep our head up, and we'll be out of it. We've got to win tomorrow, one way or the other. But we're fine."
A loss Tuesday will equal Florida' eight-game slide from Aug. 15-22, 2007.
To make matters worth, Ramirez left Monday's game after being struck by a fastball on his right hand. An X-ray came back negative, and though he's listed as day-to-day, he won't play Tuesday.
Florida will try to bounce back against former Marlin Livan Hernandez (1-1, 7.31 ERA), who was the 1997 World Series MVP after leading the franchise to its first championship.
Hernandez was expected to be an innings-eater at the back end of the Mets' rotation in his 14th major league season, but he didn't do a very good job of that in his latest outing. The right-hander was tagged for seven runs and nine hits over 4 1-3 innings as New York lost 12-8 at St. Louis on Thursday.
"I had nothing on the ball today," Hernandez told the Mets' official Web site. "I don't know what happened. I knew in the bullpen before the game that the ball had nothing. ... I made some good pitches but I made some mistakes and they took advantage."
Hernandez, though, is 3-0 with a 3.05 ERA in his last three starts against Florida, including a road win April 11. He gave up two runs and six hits over 6 2-3 innings as New York won 8-4, the Marlins' lone loss in their first 12 games.
Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 6.86) will get the ball for Florida, and he'll be looking for a better performance than what he delivered in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He gave up six runs and eight hits over six innings in a 7-4 loss.
Nolasco's other loss came when he opposed Hernandez on April 11, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings.
"A slow start's a slow start, but I'm not going to accept that," Nolasco said. "There's no excuse for the way I've been pitching. ... I just have to man up and take a step forward and turn on my game a bit."
Nolasco is 2-6 with a 6.36 ERA in 12 games - 10 starts - against the Mets. Jose Reyes and David Wright are hitting a combined .439 (25-for-57) versus Nolasco, with three homers apiece.
