Braves bumble opener in Miami

“Yeah, that was a legitimate clunker,” Weiss said. “Went to the bullpen (in the fifth inning) and it got tough from there. The game got ugly after that and that’s one you just flush and you show up tomorrow.”

Braves starter JR Ritchie was hit hard to the tune of nine balls leaving Marlins bats at more than 90 mph. Ritchie (1-1) was charged with six earned runs on six hits. He walked one, hit two and struck out four.

The rookie, making his fifth MLB start, threw 84 pitches and left after the fourth inning.

The Marlins (22-26) took the lead with what should have been an unearned run in the second. Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim booted a ground ball hit by Jakob Marsee, a play ruled a base hit, and Marsee would score from third later in the inning when Joe Mack’s 106-mph grasscutter kicked off Matt Olson’s glove at first.

Ritchie then made his own mess in the fourth, allowing a single to Kyle Stowers, then hitting Marsee in the foot and then walking Norby to load the bases. Mack became the nemesis again by scorching a two-run single off Ozzie Albies’ glove at second and the Marlins went up 3-0. Xavier Edwards hit a rocket to deep short and by the time Kim got to it Edwards had reached for an RBI infield single.

Liam Hicks delivered the fatal blow in the inning with a knuckling line drive to right that put right fielder Mike Yastrzemski on skates. The ball went off Yastrzemski’s glove and was ruled a two-run double putting the Braves down 6-0.

“It’s probably the best I had felt mentally and physically, as funny as that sounds,” Ritchie said. “Just one of those days a couple balls didn’t go my way. I think I gotta make a couple better pitches there down the stretch to prevent them from getting a five-spot that inning.

“But at the end of the day I feel like I adjusted what I needed to and, obviously, I’ll have some adjustments coming out of this one.”

Things went from bad to worse in the fifth when Bummer, making $9.5 million in this the second year of a two-year contract, entered the fight. The lefty walked the bases loaded before walking in a run, and gave up a grand slam to Javier Sanoja and a solo home run to Xavier Edwards.

Bummer was charged a career-high six earned runs on two homers, three hits and five walks in a single inning.

“Obviously, I think, pathetic is kind of a nice way to put it,” Bummer said. “For somebody that’s been doing it as long as I have, to not be able to stop the bleeding, to (not) find the strike zone, in reality just to be able to make a pitch? Honestly it’s bad. There’s really no other way to put it.

“I have to move forward and have to keep going and never allow something like that to happen again. To not able to stop the bleeding and (not) be able to make a pitch is tough.”

Marlins starter Max Meyer (4-0) threw six scoreless innings and the righty fanned six.

Monday’s game also had a lengthy delay in the top of the second after home plate Alfonso Márquez was hit in the mask by a foul ball off the bat of Mauricio Dubón. Mike Estabrook took over behind the plate and the game continued with a three-umpire crew.