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Hanley is too good to be this bad, he will figure it out.
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Hanley Ramirez questions himself after Marlins' 4-3 loss to Mets
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NEW YORK — Hanley Ramirez can't figure out exactly why, but he knows he's not the same hitter he was last year.
"I don't know what happened," he said Friday night after blowing two run-scoring chances in the Marlins' 4-3 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
"I've got to find my timing. I've got to step it up. As a team we're doing pretty good. It's about the team - everybody knows that. But they need me and I've got to show them I'm going to be there for them."
Ramirez went hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position Friday night, the last one coming with the tying run at third when he bounced out to end the game.
In the seventh inning, he fouled out to first base for the final out with runners at first and third.
"I had a lot of opportunities to put the team ahead and I didn't come up with the big hit," said Ramirez, who's hitting .241 with runners in scoring position this year after hitting .373 in those situations last year.
"My teammates, they expect me get a good pitch, drive the ball and get a single. I think I'm being too aggressive and trying to do too much when runners are in scoring position. I've just got to calm down a little bit and take what (pitchers) give me.
Ramirez is batting .292 - a respectable average. But he knows he's better than that. He was hitting .342 on June 4 last year on his way to winning the National League batting title with that same average.
"My timing is different from last year, I don't know why. I've just got to find it quickly," said Ramirez, who left five runners on base Friday night. "It's a long season."
On a night the Marlins struggled to score, perhaps Mike Stanton would have helped. Stanton, who is days away from a call-up, went 3-for-3 Friday with his 21st home run for Jacksonville, finishing a double short of a cycle.
But there were other reasons the Marlins lost to the Mets for just the second time in eight games this year.
Jorge Cantu, who went into the game tied for the National League RBI lead (42), bounced out to shortstop with runners at second and third to end the fifth inning.
And pitcher Anibal Sanchez suffered his first loss April 27. He had won each of his last four starts coming into the game.
"I can't win every game," he said. "Just a bad day. I threw strikes. But they made a lot of contact."
Sanchez, who cruised through the first two innings, allowed two runs on four hits in the bottom of the third. He was charged with two more runs in the sixth inning.
Chris Coghlan had three hits for his fifth straight multi-hit game. He's batting .257.
The Marlins had a chance in the ninth against Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez after Coghlan reached with two outs on an infield single and Gaby Sanchez drew a walk.
With Ramirez at-bat, Rodriguez threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.
But Ramirez bounced a chopper down the third-base line that looked like it might go foul. But David Wright quickly grabbed the ball and threw to first for the final out.
Cantu let a ground ball go through his legs at third base in the seventh inning for his seventh error.
"I don't know what happened," he said Friday night after blowing two run-scoring chances in the Marlins' 4-3 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
"I've got to find my timing. I've got to step it up. As a team we're doing pretty good. It's about the team - everybody knows that. But they need me and I've got to show them I'm going to be there for them."
Ramirez went hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position Friday night, the last one coming with the tying run at third when he bounced out to end the game.
In the seventh inning, he fouled out to first base for the final out with runners at first and third.
"I had a lot of opportunities to put the team ahead and I didn't come up with the big hit," said Ramirez, who's hitting .241 with runners in scoring position this year after hitting .373 in those situations last year.
"My teammates, they expect me get a good pitch, drive the ball and get a single. I think I'm being too aggressive and trying to do too much when runners are in scoring position. I've just got to calm down a little bit and take what (pitchers) give me.
Ramirez is batting .292 - a respectable average. But he knows he's better than that. He was hitting .342 on June 4 last year on his way to winning the National League batting title with that same average.
"My timing is different from last year, I don't know why. I've just got to find it quickly," said Ramirez, who left five runners on base Friday night. "It's a long season."
On a night the Marlins struggled to score, perhaps Mike Stanton would have helped. Stanton, who is days away from a call-up, went 3-for-3 Friday with his 21st home run for Jacksonville, finishing a double short of a cycle.
But there were other reasons the Marlins lost to the Mets for just the second time in eight games this year.
Jorge Cantu, who went into the game tied for the National League RBI lead (42), bounced out to shortstop with runners at second and third to end the fifth inning.
And pitcher Anibal Sanchez suffered his first loss April 27. He had won each of his last four starts coming into the game.
"I can't win every game," he said. "Just a bad day. I threw strikes. But they made a lot of contact."
Sanchez, who cruised through the first two innings, allowed two runs on four hits in the bottom of the third. He was charged with two more runs in the sixth inning.
Chris Coghlan had three hits for his fifth straight multi-hit game. He's batting .257.
The Marlins had a chance in the ninth against Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez after Coghlan reached with two outs on an infield single and Gaby Sanchez drew a walk.
With Ramirez at-bat, Rodriguez threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.
But Ramirez bounced a chopper down the third-base line that looked like it might go foul. But David Wright quickly grabbed the ball and threw to first for the final out.
Cantu let a ground ball go through his legs at third base in the seventh inning for his seventh error.
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