Tag Archive for: Miami Marlins

Hey now, who’s a Marlins All-Star?

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The starting lineups have already been decided by the voting public but the rest of the All-Star rosters for the American League and National League will be announced on Sunday on ESPN.

The fans picked the starters. The players vote for the reserves. There are 24 remaining roster spots for the NL and 23 for the AL due to the designated hitter. The player ballot will fill 16/17 available spots and the Commissioner’s Office will fill the remainder, mainly to make sure each team has a representative.

The Marlins didn’t have a player voted among the finalist in any position. It’s likely that none of the Miami bats will be selected as an All-Star but it would be fitting if one of their remaining healthy starting pitchers were to get the nod.

Sandy Alcantara has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and is the most likely candidate to be selected. His next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game, should he be one. With a minimum of 80 innings pitched, there are 17 starting pitchers in the National League with a lower ERA than Alcantara. There are 40 starting pitchers with a lower WHIP including fellow Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Richards. 

Relievers have been chosen before and sometimes used as the one-team rep, even when they weren’t closers. Austin Brice has a 2.25 ERA and would be the dark horse candidate. Same goes for rookie Nick Anderson, who is tied for third among National League rookies in strikeouts. 

But if you were to ask Miami manager Don Mattingly who should the representing the Marlins in the All-Star Game, it would be shortstop Miguel Rojas.

“If you ask me to say who I’d say our guy is, if you are to say we have to take one, without dismissing anyone else, I think Miggy is a great representative for us,” Mattingly said.

His reasoning is that Rojas would fit the mold to represent the organization at the Midsummer Classic on July 9 at Cleveland.

“I think Miggy best represents our club,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy who plays every day, battles every day. He can play all over the field. He really knows how to play.”

Rojas’ statistics doesn’t necessarily jump out. He’s slashing .287/.350/.706 with 23 RBIs but no home runs. He’s been one of the best shortstops in the month of June, hitting .348 with a .885 OPS.

He’s got the intangibles and can provide a quality at-bat no matter where he is slated in the lineup. Mattingly said he sees Rojas as an All-Star utility pick, since he could come in and play anywhere on the infield.

The rest of the Marlins hitters haven’t been on the field long enough to warrant All-Star consideration compared to rest of the league, which makes the announcement all the more suspenseful.

Miguel Rojas: “Tenemos que jugar mejor en Marlins Park”

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Miguel Rojas está muy contento por estar recibiendo la oportunidad que siempre soñó: ser el campocorto titular de un equipo de Grandes Ligas.

Este año, con los Marlins, el venezolano finalmente está cumpliendo su sueño por completo, al ser el titular indiscutible de la posición en una temporada de reconstrucción.

De hecho, Rojas se ha convertido en uno de los mejores campocortos de las Grandes Ligas. Antes, su gran defensiva pasaba por debajo de la mesa, pues se le veía en todas las posiciones del cuadro, gracias a su versatilidad.

Además, Rojas ha destacado en el plato este año. A pesar de no tener cuadrangulares, el campocorto de los Marlins es uno de los peloteros mas sobresalientes de la alineación, y se ha ganado a punta de batazos y buenos turnos el ser el primer bate del equipo.

Este año, Rojas promedia .276, con un promedio de embasado de .342, y 16 dobles, ya igualando el tope personal en su carrera, y va rumbo a su temporada mas sólida con el bate, si logra mantener el ritmo en lo que queda de campaña.

Su defensa siempre ha sido su mejor carta de presentación, y este año está metido entre los campocortos élite.

Miguel Rojas y su posible primer All Star

El campocorto de los Marlins podría ser el representante de Miami en el Juego de las Estrellas que se va a llevar a cabo en Cleveland.

Hace un mes, parecía claro que sería Caleb Smith el representante del equipo, pero con su lesión se ha abierto la posibilidad para peloteros como Rojas, Harold Ramírez, Garrett Cooper o el propio Sandy Alcántara.

¿Será Rojas el escogido?

Vea lo que dijo Don Mattingly sobre él esta misma semana.

Te invitamos a que escuches el EP 42 de Cinco Razones Podcast, en inglés, junto a Tony Capobianco y Michael Sonbeek (DutchBeek, el Pico Holandés), desde el propio Marlins Park

Zac Gallen gets first career hit in Marlins loss

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Rookie pitcher Zac Gallen made his Marlins Park debut on Wednesday and threw five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in a 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.

“I kind of settled in after the second inning,” Gallen said. “I would have liked to have gotten through six with less pitches, but other than that, I think I did OK.”

Gallen started his outing with a strikeout but ended up with two runners on base before Matt Adams lined out to second base to end the inning. He knocked in his first career hit in the third inning and scored on a RBI single by Harold Ramirez.

Gallen cruised all the way to the sixth inning until three straight hits ended his night. Wei-Yin Chen came in relief and a three-run home run by Adams broke open the game for Washington.

“I think ultimately when you get through the lineup a third time, guys have seen enough pitches and they don’t want to get to two strikes or deep into counts,” Gallen said. “They just ambushed a few pitches.”

Marlins manager Don Mattingly believed Gallen deserved to make through the sixth inning after throwing 76 pitches through the first five. However his hand was forced after the Nationals jumped on Gallen.

“Overall, you have to make a call with a young guy like that,” Mattingly said. “Do you let him go five innings and get him out of there and leave it positive, or do you let him keep growing? Obviously, it didn’t go good today but I’m sure he’s going to learn from it.”

One other interesting tidbit about Gallen is that he wears glasses on the mound but takes them off while at the plate. He has a good reason for that.

“The glasses are only because, at nighttime, I can’t see the signs,” Gallen said. “My astigmatism and the shadows. … I probably could use them for hitting, but I don’t wear them every day. It throws me off even more.”

Caleb Smith is one rehab start away from returning from his month long stay from the injured list. One of the trio of young starters (Gallen, Jordan Yamamoto and Elieser Hernandez) will have to return to Triple-A New Orleans in order to make room. What might be the best direction to go is to move Hernandez to the bullpen as a way to fortify an area of need.

Adam Conley shakes off the funk with seven strikeouts

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There was only one bright spot for the Miami Marlins during their 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, which snapped their four-game winning streak. The bright spot was embattled reliever Adam Conley.

Conley entered the game in the sixth inning tasked with preventing the deficit from being any more disastrous. He threw three shutout innings with only one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.

The left-hander started the season as one of the high leverage options in the bullpen but has struggled this year. He has entered the game with a 1-7 record and 8.00 ERA but after those three innings, he has 30 strikeouts in 30 innings this season.

Conley said in an interview during spring training that his primary focus is to throw the perfect pitch. With a bevy of breaking balls and a fastball that topped out at 97.4 mph, 11 of the 37 pitches he threw were swinging strikes.

Conley’s role has changed in recent weeks after he fell off the top of the bullpen. He entered the season as the primary left-handed option in high-leverage situations and split the setup role with Drew Steckenrider, who was the primary right-handed option before his season ending injury.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said during the previous homestand that he “has been out of sync” and by adding length to his role would allow him to use more pitches. Conley started his career as a starting pitcher but was moved to the bullpen in 2018 after a 6.14 ERA in 2017. Relievers typically shrink their pitching arsenal in an effort to be more efficient in a single inning sample size. The three inning performance was his highest since being moved to the bullpen.

“Hopefully that is something that is a positive for him and is something that gets him on the right track and in the right direction for us,” Mattingly said. “Most of the stuff with Adam has been balls in bad spots and really not getting the ball where he needs to in the strike zone. We see 97 and 98 [mph] at times. But guys hit that if he’s just throwing in the zone.”

After that performance, it would not be surprising if Conley wasn’t available for the rest of the series.

Marlins returned to home-cooked beef, Scherzer-served 10K burger

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The Miami Marlins returned home riding a four game winning streak and a 5-2 road trip but immediately ran into the buzzsaw that is Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer.

Scherzer notched his 89th career 10+ strikeout game on Tuesday, leading the Nationals’ 6-1 win over the Marlins. It was also his third consecutive 10-strikeout game and in his last seven starts, Scherzer (7-5) is 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA. Not even a black eye and broken nose can stop him.

“You’ve got to come down here and you might not have many fans in the stands, there’s no atmosphere here, but you’ve got to mentally bring it every single time,” Scherzer said.

“They know how to play in this atmosphere and that’s what they’re really good at, catching you and grinding you away. It’s happened to me coming down here. I was fully aware of that and I wanted to come out there and really put an `A’ game against them,” he said.

This is the first home game since radio broadcaster Glenn Geffner went full William Wallace on Twitter after the Marlins’ series sweep in Philadelphia. The announced crowd of 7,327 was actually the second highest attendance mark on a Tuesday home game in Miami. So there’s progress.

This game wasn’t without it’s episode of drama. The only Marlins hitter with any success against Scherzer was shortstop and leadoff hitter Miguel Rojas had a little beef brewing during the game. He got the first hit of the game in the first inning and in the third inning, he got hit in the thigh by a pitch (which also hit catcher Kurt Suzuki) after hitting a ball back to Scherzer that was thrown during a timeout.

“I didn’t think it was professional to do a quick pitch that way,” Rojas said. “I was still looking down. I wasn’t in the box. He was trying to get a cheap strikeout because I wasn’t ready to hit.”

Rojas was ejected along with manager Don Mattingly by home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook in the eighth inning after disputing a called third strike pitch, Scherzer’s 10th strikeout. He sprinted out of the dugout and onto the field toward Estabrook, with Mattingly beside him trying to contain the fury.

“I wasn’t happy with that call, strike three right there,” Rojas said. “I feel like sometimes they make calls because sometimes the game is a little [lopsided] right there. You don’t know if you can come back. I thought it was inside. I had a lot of feelings during the game.”

Mattingly defended Rojas and said that the frustration was over the strike zone established by the umpire. He noted that there is possibly a bias that favors the long established veteran like Scherzer and gives him more room to work with, while tightening the zone for younger pitchers like Trevor Richards and rookie Zac Gallen.

“For us, you’ve seen it a little bit in St. Louis, when you get Wainwright and somebody out there,” Mattingly said. “It seems like every pitch they throw close is a strike, and then we’ve got Gallen going and everything has to be over the plate 100 percent, and we’re not getting it. Miggy, basically, is right. He’s basically saying, ‘Hey, we’re still playing. We still have a game going.’ Max is plenty good enough, he doesn’t need help.”

Speaking of Gallen, he will make his second career start on Wednesday against Patrick Corbin.

Yamamoto Wins Again as Marlins Sweep

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The Marlins completed the sweep of NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-4 with a 16 HIT bombardment off Philadelphia pitching. Yamamoto took the ball for the Fish and he put the Marlins in a position to win. The Marlins outscored the Phillies 13-8 and out hit them 29-20. Very solid series sweep for the Fish.

Offense Produces

The Marlins offense managed to scratch a run off Phillies’ starter Enyel De Los Santos in the first inning. Rojas opened the game with a lead off single, followed by a Garret Cooper single which advanced Rojas to second. A wild pitch pushed Rojas to third and Cooper to second. 

Starlin Castro comes up huge with a single scoring Rojas but Cooper is thrown out at the plate after a Phillies’ challenge on the original safe call. Nonetheless, Miami is on the board early.

After a Cesar Puello single to open the second inning, JT Riddle blasts a two run homer to right field to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. That is Riddle’s second home run in back to back games and he has now homered in three of his last four games.

More offense followed after the homer by JT Riddle. Garret Cooper and Brian Anderson followed up with homers of their own launching back to back home runs in the fifth inning.

Yamamoto’s Solid Start

Yamamoto got off to a rocky start in the first inning when he walked the bases loaded. He struggled to find the zone with his off speed pitches but minimized the damage to only two runs. A Jean Segura single scored two runs in the inning as they were the only runs the Phillies were gonna scratch off Yamamoto or the rest of the game. 

He managed to bounce back from that rocky start and threw five innings of quality baseball without allowing additional runs. His final stat line for his outing is 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 Walks, and 7 Strikeouts on 99 pitches. Three of those four walks came in the first inning, so a solid bounce back in the aspect of command for the rookie.

Yamamoto Makes History

After his solid pitching performance and the Marlins securing the win, Yamamoto became the first Marlins’ pitcher in franchise history to win their first three starts to start their career. (via @DuseReport)

His performance also pushed the Marlins rotation to sole possession of the 3rd best rotation ERA in ALL of baseball with a 3.71 ERA. They passed the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins and kept their lead of the Houston Astros. The only two teams ahead of the Marlins are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, both with sub-3 ERA’s. (via @fishstripes)

Zac Gallen Shows Promise in Marlins/MLB Debut

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One of the Marlins’ top pitching prospects in Zac Gallen made his Major League debut last night against the St. Louis Cardinals and he did not disappoint. The Cardinals happen to be his former club that traded him for Marcel Ozuna before the 2018 season and he showed them what they traded.

Gallen Shines

In his five innings of work, Gallen allowed five hits, one earned run, struck out six and walked two. That’s a pretty impressive debut if you ask me. If I’m being honest, that run should’ve never came across to score. Gallen was robbed of strike three call on a pitch that was well inside the zone, but nonetheless, that run came across. Here’s a video of all of Gallen’s six *should’ve been seven* strikeouts. (via @Marlins)

Gallen did get worked into some deep counts against the Cardinals’ hitters which is why he left the game at 99 pitches through his five innings. He did leave with the game tied and when the Marlins came up to bat in the top half of the inning they managed to gain the lead and putting Gallen in line for the win.

Marlins Bullpen Blows Lead… Again.

Unfortunately, the woes of the Marlins’ bullpen continue to spoil the performances of the young pitching staff. Gallen was in line for the win all the way up until the 8th inning when Tayron Guerrero gave up a two-run home run to Tommy Edman. 

That home run happened to be on an 0-2 count and the first of Edman’s career. So good job on that one… Edman couldn’t catch up to the previous four fastballs that Guerrero was throwing to him so why Guerrero threw a center cut slider is beyond me. (via @Cardinals)

Riddle Saves The Day

Despite the bullpen blowing yet another lead, J.T Riddle was the hero the Marlins needed. He blasted a two-run home run off of Cardinals’ reliever Andrew Miller. In a 1-2 count, Miller threw a slider that hung over the middle of the plate and Riddle made him pay with a 400 foot blast to right field. (via @Marlins)

Strange Sequence of Events in the 11th

Things got interesting when the Cardinals got a run across on Sergio Romo and pulled with in one. Yadier Molina is not the fastest guy in the league. It was best that he was pinch ran for by Cardinals’ staring pitcher Jack Flaherty, at least that’s what Cardinals’ manager Mike Shildt thought. 

Flaherty took a standard lead off of second base but wasn’t paying attention. He was then picked off by Sergio Romo to end the threat of the tying run coming across and ended the game in the Marlins’ favor in 11 innings. (via @Marlins)

The Marlins head to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies for tomorrow night’s game. Sandy Alcantara will take the ball for the Marlins and Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Phillies.

Marlins’ Zac Gallen to Make MLB Debut Tomorrow

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The Miami Marlins are calling up one of their top pitching prospects in Zac Gallen to pitch in place of Pablo Lopez who will be placed on the injured list. The report came from a reddit post found by @r_LetsGoFish on twitter and was later confirmed by reporter and radio host @Craig Mish.

Gallen has been absolutely dominating the Pacific Coast League which, in all fairness, is known for hitting their home runs. In 91.1 innings this year in Triple-A New Orleans, Gallen has only given up ten home runs to opposing hitters. That’s not his only impressive stat from his time down in Triple-A.

Gallen holds a 9-1 record with a 1.77 ERA in 14 games started for the Baby Cakes. He has a 112 to 17 strikeout to walk ratio and opposing hitters are hitting for a measly .155 average when he’s on the mound.

He’s very effective in limiting traffic on the base paths as he holds a 0.71 WHIP during his tenure in the minors.

Gallen’s last start came on June 14th so the sudden trip to the injured list for Pablo Lopez works out conveniently for Gallen and for the Marlins. He will have had the full five days of rest. Lopez did miss time at the beginning and towards the end of the season last year with a shoulder issue and seems as if he will be placed on the IL with possibly another shoulder issue.

Although not confirmed yet of the extent of the injury, it looks like it will be an unfortunate stay on the injured list for Lopez.

Gallen was traded to the Marlins along with Sandy Alcantara and Magneuris Sierra in the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis. He is the Marlins’ #5 ranked prospect in their top 30 and we are going to see a glimpse into the future tomorrow night. Who will Gallen be facing tomorrow? None other than his old organization in the Cardinals.

He will go head to head with long time veteran Cardinals’ pitcher Adam Wainwright and it’s going to be a fun one to watch.

Marlins Possible Trade Candidates Hurt or Not Producing

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The Marlins recently placed infielder Martin Prado (hamstring) and starting pitcher Jose Urena (herniated disc) on the injured list and it’s not looking good for trade possibility at the July 31st deadline. The Marlins now have a total of 10 players on the injured list, half of them being pitchers and the rest being position players.

 

The biggest blow being felt by the Marlins is the loss of Jose Urena. Urena was gaining trade interest from multiple teams that are considered to be contenders for a postseason run this year. With him being moved to the 60-day IL, it makes it practically impossible to move him and to receive a return well worth it. (Credit to @DuseReport)

In 13 games started this season, Urena is 4-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 74.1 innings pitched with 51 strikeouts. Teams are most likely looking at Urea’s ability to accumulate innings throughout the season. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he pitched more than 165 innings and started more than 30 games.

 

Neil Walker who is also on the IL with a right quadriceps strain, is also a very possible trade candidate. His injury is less significant than Urena’s so it’s possible he comes back before the July 31st deadline. In 51 games played this season, Walker is batting a .295 average with four home runs and 14 RBIs. He is one of the three veterans that was brought in on a one year deal so it could be a very productive trade when the time comes to deal him.

 

The other two veterans just simply aren’t producing enough to get back a good enough prospect package. Sergio Romo in 23 games has a 5.48 ERA, not the production you want from a possible trade candidate and Curtis Granderson has been pretty bad too. In 58 games, Granderson is batting an awful .184 average with seven homers and 17 RBIs. (Credit to @DuseReport)

The only true value these guys have brought to the young team is their experience. They can help the younger players get through the hiccups that they may face throughout the long season by being their mentor. Perfect example of Curtis Granderson giving insight to Marlins’ 2019 2nd round draft pick Nasim Nunez. (Credit to @FernandezAndreC)

So, who is the Marlins’ All-Star?

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Let’s be honest, the Marlins haven’t been the best team this year, but they haven’t been the worst. For having the fourth worst record in baseball, they have a few legit All-Star candidates that could represent them this year in Cleveland. Here are my three candidates, let’s start with Caleb “Doctor K” Smith.

 

Caleb Smith

Caleb Smith has been one of the biggest surprises so far this season for the Marlins. After coming off season ending surgery to repair a Grade 3 Lat strain, he holds a 3-4 record with a 3.41 ERA in twelve games started for the Marlins this season. He also ranks 26th among qualified starters in strikeouts with 82 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched with a 28% strikeout rate. Caleb Smith is ranked 6th among qualified starting pitchers in batting average against with hitters only hitting for a .198 average against him. Nobody expected him to be as good as he has been coming off that surgery, but here he is exceeding expectations.

 

Trevor Richards

Next possible All-Star candidate is another starting pitcher in Trevor Richards. Richards is quietly having a superb season this year for the Fish. In 13 games started he holds a 3.31 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 73.1 innings of work. Opposing hitters are finding a difficult time barreling up pitches or even getting hits against Richards. Hitters are putting the barrel on the ball only 6.6% of the time. His 3.31 ERA is ranked 10th in the National League among qualifying pitchers and his 6.6 Hits per 9 is ranked third in the National League. Richards is also ranked 11th in batting average against with hitters hitting only .206 against the right hander.

 

Harold Ramirez

Harold Ramirez has been an absolute steal for the Marlins since they signed him back in December and then proceeded to call him up to the big league club on May 11th. In his 26 games played and his 106 plate appearances he is batting a .327 average (entering tonights game) with one home run, and twelve RBIs. He has a hard hit rate of 39.5% along with a .784 OPS. He definitely has my vote for the All-Star game and he should have your vote as well. All three of these players deserve our vote. So go ahead and click this link to vote for your favorite Marlins into the 2019 MLB All-Star Game.

All-Star ballot: https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot

Photo by Cinco Razones Podcast. Follow them for all our baseball coverage (@CincoRazonesPod).