Bender (0-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Marlins fell 2-0 to the Cardinals, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two in the ninth inning.
The right-hander entered a 0-0 game in the top of the ninth and promptly struck out Paul Goldschmidt, but after walking Tyler O'Neill, Bender served up the game-winning homer to Nolan Arenado on a fastball that didn't get far enough inside to jam the third baseman. Bender has had a rough start to the season, posting an 8.31 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over 4.1 innings, and while he's converted two of his three saves chances, his hold on the closer job for Miami seems very tenuous.