Monday night we may very well have seen the final nail driven into the coffin of the Florida Marlins 2008 season. Anibal Sanchez was again shaky (at best) and gave up 5 ER in 1 2/3 inning pitched and put the Marlins in the hole from the get go.

The Marlins did manage to show some fight and try to get back into the game. After Sanchez gave up 2 ER in the bottom of the 1st, the Fish came out in the top of the 2nd and tied the game at 2. Sanchez couldn’t work with the fresh start however and gave up 3 ER in the bottom of the 2nd before being pulled in favor of Mark Hendrickson. In the top of the 3rd, the Marlins tacked on 2 more runs and got within 1 run. Hendrickson kept the Phillies in check giving up only 2 hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Then however Andrew Miller and Joe Nelson gave up a combined 3 runs in the 7th inning. Again the Fish fought back, putting up 2 more runs in the top of the 8th, but the comeback fell short. The Marlins eventually lost 8-6.

Even a Marlin loving, fervent fan like myself has to admit that the chances of the Marlins making the playoffs is now very very bleak…most would say hopeless. After winning back to back games for the first time in 1 month last Wednesday and Friday, the Marlins dropped the last two against the St. Louis Cardinals and tonights game against the Phillies to go on a 3 game losing streak. The losing streak means the Fish are now 8.5 games out of 1st place in the NL East and should perhaps start getting their winter travel plans together and find their golf clubs.