The Miami Marlins were ecstatic to have found their way into the 2023 MLB Playoffs as the fifth seed in the National League bracket. Unfortunately for them, they didn't last long in the playoffs, as they were quickly swept out of the action by the Philadelphia Phillies in just two games, sending them onto vacation far sooner than they would have liked.

The Marlins were never competitive against the Phillies in this two-game series, losing Game 1 4-1 before getting sent home in Game 2 by a score of 7-1. Philadelphia shut down Miami's lineup, and their pitching staff couldn't do enough to make up for their offense's lack of production. When you put it all together, it's not hard to see how the Marlins lost.

The Marlins will ultimately be encouraged with how their season played out, and the fact that they made it to the postseason, but there's no doubt that they will have higher hopes for future seasons. With this series in the books now, let's take a quick look back at the action and pick out three Marlins that failed to deliver for their team against the Phillies.

3. Jesus Luzardo

With Sandy Alcantara getting shut down for the season a few weeks before the playoffs with forearm tightness, that thrust Jesus Luzardo into the spotlight as Miami's Game 1 starter. Luzardo enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023 (10-9, 3.63 ERA, 208 K, 1.22 WHIP), and it made sense to give him the ball to open the postseason with Alcantara not in the picture.

Luzardo didn't have a great outing in Game 1 (4 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 K), and put Miami in a hole before they could ever really get off the ground. Going up against Zack Wheeler, Luzardo was going to have to be spotless in order for the Marlins to have a chance, but he allowed two runs in the third inning and another in the fourth, and that was all the Phillies needed to prevail in this one.

Truth be told, Luzardo's outing wasn't awful here, but he gets his fair share of blame for the Game 1 loss purely because the bullpen didn't have a lead to protect in the game, and honestly, giving up just one run over the final five innings to close out the game is pretty good. This was a tough way to end the season for Luzardo, but it's clear he's one of the best young lefthanders in the game, and he should have a big role in Miami for many future seasons to come.

2. Braxton Garrett

Another young lefty who took a big step forward this season, Braxton Garrett found himself getting the ball with Miami's season on the line in Game 2. Just like Luzardo, Garrett enjoyed the best season of his young career in 2023 (9-7, 3.66 ERA, 156 K, 1.15 WHIP), but faltered at a time when Miami desperately needed him to dazzle.

Garrett put the Marlins in a quick hole again in Game 2 (3 IP, 3 HR, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), allowing two runs in the third inning before he ended up getting pulled. Garrett could have probably pitched another inning of two, but Skip Schumaker wasn't taking any chances. The problem was the damage was already done, and while Andrew Nardi allowing a grand slam to Bryson Stott in the sixth inning was the final blow, it didn't matter again because the Marlins only scored one run in the game.

It's tough to truly blame Garrett since he was only in the game for three innings, and generally had a decent start, but he gave up two runs in a game where Miami only scored one run. Garrett will get pinned with the loss here, but just like Luzardo, his emergence ensures that the Marlins starting rotation is going to be in a great spot moving forward.

1. The entire Marlins lineup

As we have alluded to throughout this piece, the Marlins got no production from their lineup in this two game series. They racked up just two runs on 12 hits during these contests, and there was never really a point in time when Philadelphia felt worried that they were going to challenge them. Getting hits off of Wheeler and Aaron Nola is easier said than done, but the bats went ice cold for Miami at the worst possible time.

Rather than cast the blame on just one player, it feels only right to blame the group as a whole. Only Josh Bell and Jake Burger racked up more than one hit in this series, and even then, there were really no run-scoring opportunities for this team to pounce on. They were thoroughly outplayed by Philadelphia from start to finish.

There's no shame in losing to the Phillies, who made it all the way to the World Series last year employing a similar strategy as the one they just used to beat the Marlins, but this was a tough way for Miami's season to end. The front office will look to make some upgrades to this roster over the offseason, and the hope is that they will be able to come back better than ever in the 2024 campaign.