Missed chances cost Marlins early and often

PHILADELPHIA — Opportunity came early for the Marlins on Tuesday night, when they put runners on second and third with no outs in the first inning against hard-throwing Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez.

But as quickly as the chance to break through came, it went away. Velasquez pitched out of the jam, and Miami was scrambling to simply make contact the rest of the way in a 3-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s one of those times,” manager Don Mattingly said. “You never know what changes the game, or where the momentum slips away. He gets off the hook there. It would have been nice to put a couple up.”

The big inning, and the big hit, eluded the Marlins throughout. They ended up striking out 17 times, which matched the franchise record for most K’s in a nine-inning game. It’s been done four times now, with the last being on April 10, 2014, at Washington.

Velasquez, who had his pitch count run up, fanned 10 in five …

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