The Miami Marlins are playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card round. Philadelphia has all of the expectations in the world after making the World Series in 2022 — since then, they've upgraded the offense and pitching and are now the favorites.
The Marlins are the underdogs this season and have to play a tough series versus the Phillies. It would be no surprise if they get swept, but the Marlins have been playing good baseball. All they need to do now is connect the dots for Game 2, and they could beat the Phillies. Here are the players who couldn't do it in Game 1.
Marlins to blame for Game 1 loss: 3. Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Chisholm struggled to reach expectations and was a major part in their failure. He has all of the talent in the world to turn this around, but he was costly to the team as he went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts.
Chisholm hits right behind Luis Arraez, Jorge Soler, and Josh Bell, but he was unable to get on base. When he does hit and those three reach base, it usually equals a high-scoring game for the Marlins. Since he hits in the cleanup spot, they will only succeed if he's getting on base and moving runners, something they desperately need in Game 2.
Aaron Nola will be starting Game 2 for the Phillies which is not a great sign for Chisholm. He has played in five games versus Nola but has only been able to get two hits while striking out seven times. Unless he can improve on this, he could play a major role in the Marlins' decline.
Marlins to blame for Game 1 loss: 2. Jorge Soler
Jorge Soler was a major part of the Atlanta Braves' 2021 World Series, but in Game 1 for the Marlins, he fell short and went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts. He has the ability to lead the Marlins to a deep playoff run, but on Tuesday, he was unable to do anything and cost them dearly in such a close game.
Soler has been to the postseason multiple times playing a major role in the Braves' 2021 World Series but he was also part of breaking the Cubs' curse in 2016, helping them win the World Series.
While he will always be remembered for his 2021 World Series MVP campaign, he has been one of the best hitters in recent postseasons. In 26 games, he has hit .292 with six home runs and 11 RBIs.
If Soler puts everything together in the next few games, it would probably be enough to help eliminate the Phillies from the postseason. But all players on the team will have to connect and reach base for him to knock them in.
Marlins to blame for Game 1 loss: 1. Jesús Luzardo
Luzardo isn't the Marlins' ace, but he has been forced to step up with the injuries to Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara. Luzardo isn't new to the postseason, but he was unable to help the team win Game 1. Long-term, he has so much potential with this Marlins team that is so young and talented.
Marking his fourth postseason game, Luzardo was only able to go four innings, but his control was quite good and he threw 90 pitches. The main factor leading to his early exit was how the Phillies ran up the pitch count on him. In those four innings, he gave up eight hits, no walks, but gave up only three earned runs, all of which came on hits with no home runs.
The Marlins were unable to recover from the number of runs he gave up. Also, because he was taken out early, it hurt the bullpen by depleting their arms. A starting pitcher should be able to go at least six innings to limit the number of relievers to three or four, but due to his early exit, they only went eight innings and used four.