Miami Marlins rookie manager Skip Schumaker is in the throes of the longest losing streak of his brief career, six games and counting.
However, Schumaker remains positive as the Marlins, winless since the All-Star break, play host to the Colorado Rockies on Friday night in the start of a weekend series.
“I don’t think there’s any panic (in our clubhouse),” he said. “We just had a tough (0-6) road trip. Unfortunately, you’re going to have losing streaks during the course of a 162-game season.”
To Schumaker’s point, the road trip was so bad that it didn’t end with just the six losses.
In Wednesday’s 6-4 loss at the St. Louis Cardinals, Marlins third base coach Jody Reed fractured his lower right leg when he was hit by a Jesus Sanchez foul ball.
However, the numbers on Friday will favor the Marlins, who are 30-18 at home. The Rockies are just 14-33 on the road.
Further, the Marlins have won three consecutive home series, going 8-3 during that span.
The Rockies have lost four straight road series, going 1-11 during that span.
The Marlins will start lefty Braxton Garrett (5-2, 3.90 ERA) in Friday’s lid lifter.
Garrett, 25, already has earned a career high in wins. He has made 44 starts over the past four seasons, but this is the best run of his career. He made 17 starts last season, going 3-7 with a 3.58 ERA. Already this season, he has made a career-high 18 starts.
In three career starts against Colorado, Garrett is 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA.
The Rockies, who have yet to announce their starter for Friday night, have the worst overall record in the National League at 37-59.
Colorado on Wednesday lost 4-1 to the visiting Houston Astros. Rockies DH C.J. Cron, who homered for Colorado’s only run, said he and his teammates struggled to solve Astros starter Brandon Bielak.
“He threw good cutters away,” Cron said. “He kept us off balance with a pitch we weren’t expecting.”
Cron has homered 10 times this season, and he has 67 dingers since the start of 2021.
Still, the Rockies appear headed for their fifth straight losing season.
In addition, over the past two years, they have traded away their two franchise players — third baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story.
Pitching is also a problem. Of Colorado’s five main starters, none of them have an ERA lower than 4.70. In addition, two of them are currently on the injured list — Kyle Freeland and Ryan Feltner.
Pierce Johnson leads Colorado’s bullpen with 13 saves. But he is just 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA. Johnson, 32, is a Denver native in his first year with the Rockies.
It’s also his first season as a closer, and — when he’s right — he throws a sharp curve with plenty of spin.
Third baseman Ryan McMahon leads the Rockies in homers (15) and is tied with shortstop Ezequiel Tovar for the team lead in RBIs (46). McMahon also leads qualified Rockies in OPS (.797).
Tovar, a 21-year-old rookie from Venezuela, leads the squad in doubles (21).
–Field Level Media
