Pete Fairbanks entered the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday night with a one-run lead and a chance to help the Miami Marlins escape being swept. With two on, one out, and two strikes on William Contreras, disaster struck. The Marlins closer hung a cutter in the middle of the zone, and Contreras made him pay. He crushed a towering, deep fly ball to left center field that was nowhere near playable for Jakob Marsee, as it left the yard. Contreras' 10th homer of the year, and first since June 26th, gave the Brewers all they needed for a three-game sweep of Miami to open the unofficial second half of the season. The homer shoved a stake down the heart of Marlins fans, but the problematic pitch wasn't the lone problem this weekend. The Fish scored just one run in two of the three games against the best team in the National League Central. Three consecutive losses out of the break, all of which happened so fast. Common Themes Mark the Brewers Sweep of the Marlins IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOn Friday, a 1-1 tie was broken in the bottom of the tenth as Garrett Mitchell broke Miami fans' hearts with a walk-off single. Saturday was a different story with the same ending, as it was the bullpen again that blew the door wide open for Milwaukee to surge to victory. On Sunday, hope was abounding until despair eventually reigned supreme. The common denominator of all three losses seems obvious, yet hard to comprehend. The bullpen is still first in average against and top 10 in the league in ERA and WHIP. The group has relied heavily on the trio of Michael Petersen, John King, and Anthony Bender, but it's been tough sledding otherwise. Lake Bachar is the only other mainstay with an ERA below 4.00. Calvin Faucher, Fairbanks, Andrew Nardi, and Cade Gibson have all struggled heavily thus far. Moving forward, these trends must change, and Miami has multiple avenues to make it happen. The Marlins can't pretend they have the nasty boys from 1990 and hope it'll carry Miami to the playoffs. Nardi is on the 60-day injured list with no return in sight, but Manager Clayton McCullough continues to rely on the others. Even Pete Fairbanks, the closer, brought in for $13 million, hasn't been anywhere near his normal self this entire season. With the trade deadline looming, change must come, but there's a clear theme that brewed over the weekend. If the Marlins want to compete long-term this season, bullpen help must be added. After that weekend, the overall numbers won't confuse anyone, as the proof has been exposed. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow