BY MIKE PHILLIPS
This act might be dramatic, but it just doesn't work.
This latest Marlins trend is exciting but fruitless. If you haven't been paying attention to the first-place Marlins, they not only have been losing lately, but doing it in their own style.
Here is how it works:
They make costly errors.
The same bullpen that lifted them to first place gives up runs late.
They storm back.
Then lose by one run.
''It's frustrating, because if you don't make those mistakes, we win the game,'' said Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose team dropped its fourth in row Friday, 7-6 to Kansas City.
''But then you look at it and say look at the way we came back and lost by only one run,'' he said. ``It's just been the last few games you see this stuff, but it's a long season. We will be OK.''
They were trailing 6-2 and 7-4 on Friday before rallying for two runs in the eighth and making it close in the ninth with a two-run homer by Jeremy Hermida. But for the third time in the four-game losing streak, a dramatic comeback fell short. They came back from 8-4 to lose 8-7 to the Reds on Monday and scored six runs in the ninth Wednesday to erase a 6-0 lead, only to lose 7-6 in 10 innings to the Reds. Then they come home and pull off the same act.
The loss allowed the Phillies, who beat Toronto, to catch the Marlins in a tie for the lead in the National League East. It is not the Phillies who the Marlins are worried about; it is themselves.
''We gave some runs away and it cost us,'' Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla said. ``The last three or four games, we just haven't been playing well. But it's a long season. You can't get too high or too low.''
It is hard for Uggla not to be on a high these days. He went 3 for 3, homered, doubled, scored three runs, singled and walked. He is hitting .619 (13 for 21) in the past seven games, with five homers and 10 RBI.
But not even Uggla was enough to stop the losing streak.
The Royals took advantage of the Marlins all game and cashed in during a fourth inning that featured sloppy play and a two-out, bases-loaded throwing error by Hanley Ramirez that came after starter Andrew Miller intentionally walked Tony Pena Jr. to face Royals starter Brett Tomko.
Tomko hit a one hopper to Ramirez, who looked toward second, and then sent a wild throw to first.
''I was going to go to second and then I didn't change [my body movement] and threw to first. It was just a bad throw,'' Ramirez said.
It was the 39th error of the year for the Marlins, who were the worst fielding team in the majors a year ago. They are tied with Texas for the most errors this season.
Miller walked Joey Gathright to give K.C. a 4-2 lead. He had won his last three decisions and was coming off his best start, a seven-inning, two-hit, no-run performance against the Nationals.
But on Friday, it took just 12 pitches from Miller to produce a 2-0 Royals lead when Jose Guillen's single scored two runs. The long fourth inning cost Miller, too. He needed 102 pitched to get through five innings.
''Those two innings were just stupid,'' Miller said. ``I just didn't execute pitches in the first inning, and I should have gotten out of the fourth. And walking in a run is just stupid.
``That stuff [errors] happens. But if I had pitched better in the first inning, we wouldn't have been in that position. That's kind of the way it's been going lately. But I should have pitched better. My stuff was there tonight.''
The bullpen wasn't.
Justin Miller gave up a two-run homer to former Marlin Miguel Olivo in the eighth that lifted Kansas City to a 6-2 lead, and Renyel Pinto allowed a run in the ninth.
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