There are many takeaways from the past two series against the Rangers and Reds. To start, the Marlins have struggled on the road since the All-Star break, an underwhelming 3-14 and 2-4 in the two series combined this past week.
Marlins vs Rangers
Texas showed why they’re a top team in league, scoring 21 runs, hitting 10 home runs and batting .275 as a team. Luzardo, Soriano, and Alcantara gave up a combined 11 earned runs in their starts. The starting pitchers cannot afford to have pressure put on this offense.
Long Story Short
Miami was unable to give any run support after scoring 2 runs in the first 2 innings, losing their first game against the Rangers 6-2. An exciting second game with back-and-forth action ended in a 9-8 loss after a late comeback attempt. And to complete the sweep of the Marlins, the Rangers won 6-0 after Miami was unable to drive in any of their 5 runners who were on base.
Marlins vs Reds
Going forward to Cincinnati there were many questions surrounding the lineup with certain players struggling such as Joey Wendle and Luis Arraez. Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker has acknowledged Wendle’s struggles at the plate but insists that, “his defense has been steady all year long,” and to his credit, he's right. Arraez was given his first day off since the All-Star break in that first game which the Marlins lost, making them 2-5 when Arraez is out of the lineup.
Eury Perez returned to the team after a month in the minor leagues, his last start in the majors was on July 6th. Perez has a performance you could expect someone to have in that situation. He pitched 4.2 innings, allowed 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks and 2 home runs, but did showcase his potential and power as he struck out 7 batters. Eury is on a pitch count (80), we knew he had to come out after he had 78 pitches.
Jorge Soler was switched to be the Marlins leadoff hitter. Soler went 1-4 and hit a home run in the first game. In the next game, Soler hit a perfect 3-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, and 1 BB. He hit the eventual game-winning 2-run home run in the 7th to end the Marlins 5-game losing streak.
Braxton Garrett was fantastic in his own performance of 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, and striking out three batters on 79 pitches-54 strikes and securing his 6th win of the season, his first since July 8th. A win that a Marlins starting pitcher hadn’t had since Sandy Alcantara’s in the Marlins 7-1 win over Tampa Bay on July 26th.
Marlins vs Reds, Game 3
The Marlins third game against the Reds ended up being the best of the bunch. Both teams needed a series win that would secure a tie breaker. The Reds were up throughout the game until the 8th inning when Josh Bell hit a 3-run home run to tie the game. Up came the 9th inning. Byran De La Cruz was 3-26 with 5 strikeouts in these two series until a line drive home run to right field that gave the Marlins a 5-4 lead. David Robertson then entered the game and recorded the save, securing Miami’s series win.
Marlins Players of the Week
Jorge Soler: 7-21 (.333) / 4 R / 2 HR / 5 RBI / 4 BB / 4 K
There's no doubt his best hit of the week was his 395-foot, 2-run home run to put the Marlins up 3-2 vs the Reds. Going forward we'll likely see him leadoff as Arraez tries to get back on track after falling to .369. Jorge has 28 HR, 62 RBI, .246 BA, .836 OPS, and .500 SLG% on the season, with 3 HR and 6 RBI this month.
Tanner Scott: 1-0 / 3.0 IP / 0 H / 0 ER / 7 K
Scott has been productive in his last 15 appearances, pitching 15.2 innings, allowing 9 hits, 3 ER, and 24 strikeouts. Really becoming a strong piece of the bullpen pitching a 2.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP with 80 strikes to 22 BB in 54.2 IP on the season.
David Robertson: 2 saves / 2.0 IP / 1H / 1 BB / 3 K
Robertson earned his 16th and 17th save of the season. Pitched exceptionally well after 6 days of rest, he will look to keep that play up going forward as we set ready for the end of the season.
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