Sep. 1--MIAMI GARDENS -- Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record. Cal Ripken took his first day off after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Kenneth Starr sent Congress 11 reasons to impeach Bill Clinton. Google was born.
Can you name the month and year? Well done to those who offered September 1998.
Until game's end Sunday, that also was the last time the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! failed to hit at least .240 in a month. The Marlins concluded August with a 10-hit flurry in their 6-2 loss to the Mets at Dolphin Stadium. Their monthly mark rose three points to .235 (215 for 916) and it still ranked as the fourth worst in franchise history, excluding partial months March and October.
The only other lighter hitting months in terms of average: April 1996 (.220), September 1993 (.230) and September 1998 (.234).
"Tough month," said outfielder Luis Gonzalez, after the Marlins lost two of three to the NL East-leading Mets and fell seven games off the pace with 25 to play.
Sunday, the Marlins got off to a promising start against Pedro Martinez. The first two batters reached and scored. That was it in terms of runs. Just one of their last eight hits went for extra bases.
The Marlins went hitless in their last five chances with runners in scoring position and 1 for 6 in the game. In losing three of their past five, the Marlins have failed to have more than two hits with RISP in any of those (8 for 34 in total).
The home runs have evaporated. They've hit more than one in a game twice since Aug. 10 and just four times in 28 August games.
Martinez retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced during the six-inning, 101-pitch performance. He can boast being the most accomplished starter to beat the Marlins this month, a list that includes Charlie Morton, Yusmeiro Petit, Todd Wellemeyer, Braden Looper, Oliver Perez and Kyle Kendrick.
"We got some people on base, but Pedro is still Pedro," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He can pitch. You saw his command and pitching know-how."
Offensively, John Baker (.318), Hanley Ramirez (.295) and Cody Ross (.277) were the lone Marlins with a respectable August. The rest of the regulars: Jeremy Hermida (.192), Josh Willingham (.210), Dan Uggla (.217), Jorge Cantu (.223) and Mike Jacobs (.229) went into the tank.
"It snowballs," said Luis Gonzalez, who went 3 for 4 Sunday and hit .302 in 53 August at-bats. "We dug ourselves a little hole here and now we have to try to find a way to get out of it, hopefully September."
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