The Miami Marlins came so close to pulling off the unthinkable.
Trailing by nine with four innings left, the Marlins put together their best three-inning offensive stretch of the season, scoring eight runs in that span. They strung together at-bats, moved station to station and ultimately showed the approach needed at the plate for this club in this condition to win ballgames.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough to erase two bad innings earlier in the game — one by starting pitcher Trevor Richards, another by reliever Jarlin Garcia — that put the Marlins in a deep hole for the eventual 12-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.