Miami drops 9-2 decision to Arizona, extends skid to six
MIAMI (AP) -- For the second time in a week, Kevin Slowey has struggled with his location.
Slowey (1-4) allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings for the Miami Marlins in a 9-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
"You could see Slow was just struggling with his command," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "You could tell early on that he just didn't have it."
Slowey lost his second consecutive start and has a 9.39 ERA in his last two outings after posting a 1.81 ERA in his first seven starts.
"It was the second time in a week that I haven't given my team a chance to win and that's disappointing," Slowey said.
Slowey issued three homers, two to Paul Goldschmidt, who tied his career high with four hits and drove in four runs.
"Watch the kid, watch the way he stays with his approach, he's dangerous," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said.
Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer on an 0-2 pitch in the first, a 428-foot drive to left. Eric Chavez homered to right on the very next pitch.
Goldschmidt fouled off six straight pitches in the third before hitting another two-run homer, a drive to left on the 13th pitch of the at-bat that made it 5-0.
"However many I fouled off, all of them were down and away, mostly really good pitches, and fortunately for me he made a mistake," Goldschmidt said.
It was the second career multihomer game for Goldschmidt, who also connect twice May 18 at the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is hitting .414 (29 for 70) with nine homers and 26 RBIs on the road, but .272 with three homers and nine RBIs at Chase Field.
"It's still early in the season so the stats are skewed one way or another so if you get hot for a week or something when you're on the road compared to home," Goldschmidt said. "You just try to go out there and play well. If it happens to be on the road, good. If it's at home, that's good as well."
Goldschmidt doubled to lead off the seventh and singled in the ninth. He is hitting .440 (22 for 50) in his last 15 games with seven homers, six doubles, and 17 RBIs.
"He's got a lot of talent," second baseman Martin Prado said. "We are expecting a lot of things from him. Every time he goes to home plate, we're just waiting for something to happen."
Chavez homered and also had four hits, and Gerardo Parra and Prado had three hits apiece for Arizona, which had 16 hits in all and won its third straight game.
"I just hope we can do this more often, it would sure help our pitching staff," Gibson said.
Trevor Cahill (3-4) won for the third time in four decisions following an 0-3 start, allowing one run, five hits and four walks in eight innings. He walked his first two batters in the third before retiring 13 in a row, 10 on groundballs.
"As the game went along I was able to find my arm slot and worked down in the zone," Cahill said.
Miami matched its season-high losing streak at six and at 11-31 shares the worst record in baseball with the Houston Astros. The 11-31 start equaled the 2006 Marlins for the worst 42-game start in franchise history, according to STATS.
"Unfortunately we got down and obviously with our offense were just not able to make up that much ground," Redmond said.
Arizona led 7-0 before Rob Brantly had an RBI single for Miami. Greg Dobbs had three hits.
NOTES: Following the game, the Marlins designated RHP Jon Rauch for assignment and recalled LHP Duane Below from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Diamondbacks OF Jason Kubel (quadriceps) didn't play. "It's not great. It's kind of finicky," Gibson said. "Some days it's OK. Some days it's not." ... Miami OF Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), who has been on the DL since April 30, has been doing some hitting in a batting cage and thinks he will be back before the All-Star break. ... Arizona RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-3, 5.63 ERA) faces Miami RHP Tom Koehler (0-1, 3.31 ERA) on Saturday.