Marlins losing streak hits three games after Braves get to Bryan Hoeing in fourth

For the past few years, starting pitching has been the Miami Marlins’ strength. It was supposed to be the same this season.

But injuries and under-performance have led to inconsistency from Miami’s rotation about a month into the season.

The latest example came on Tuesday in Miami’s 7-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the team’s third consecutive defeat that drops the Marlins to 12-12 on the season. Atlanta improves to 16-8 on the season.

Bryan Hoeing, making his first MLB start of the season while filling Trevor Rogers’ spot in the rotation, gave up four runs and didn’t complete four innings. Most of the damage came in his final inning of work against a vaunted Braves lineup.

After holding Atlanta to just one run over his first three innings, the first two batters Hoeing faced in the fourth reached base on a Sean Murphy bloop single to shallow right-center field and an Eddie Rosario four-pitch walk. Ozzie Albies grounded out to the right side but moved both runners up a base before the Braves logged three consecutive run-scoring hits on a Vaughn Grissom RBI single, Sam Hilliard RBI single and Kevin Pillar RBI double.

Through 24 games this season, the Marlins’ starting pitchers have a collective 4.47 ERA, which puts them in the middle of the pack across MLB. Last year, the Marlins’ ranked eighth with a 3.70 ERA.

Of the Marlins’ main five starters, only two have an ERA below 4.00: Jesus Luzardo (3.62 ERA over 27 1/3 innings through five starts) and Braxton Garrett (2.25 ERA over 16 innings through three starts).

Ace Sandy Alcantara, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner who is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Braves, has a 5.47 ERA through four starts. Edward Cabrera has a 4.91 ERA through five starts. And Rogers has a 4.00 ERA in four starts.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened scoring the Marlins on Tuesday with a solo home run to center field in the third inning against Braves starter Charlie Morton, who struck out nine over seven innings.

Miami then tacked on two more runs in the eighth on back-to-back RBI singles from Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia to cut the deficit to two runs but gave the runs right back when Rosario and Albies hit back-to-back home runs against Tanner Scott in the bottom half of the inning. Albies also hit a home run against Andrew Nardi in the sixth.

Yuli Gurriel capped scoring with an inside-the-park home run in the ninth inning.

This and that

▪ The Marlins are undefeated (12-0) when holding opponents to four runs or fewer and have yet to win (0-12) when they give up five runs or more.

▪ Second baseman Luis Arraez sat for a third consecutive game Tuesday while dealing with a left knee contusion. He took batting practice in the cage pregame and was available to pinch-hit if the situation presented itself.

▪ Marlins pitching has given up eight home runs over two games against the Braves.