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The Miami Marlins earned a good effort from starting pitcher Jacob Turner as he attempts to solidify his spot in the rotation in 2013. Unfortunately for the Fish, they also were on the receiving end of a better effort from St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, as the righty dominated the Marlins in 4 2/3 innings en route to a 2-0 victory for the Cards.
Turner Improving
Turner had a poor debut this spring training, but he redeemed himself well in his second start of the campaign. He was stretched out a bit more, going three innings this time, and he responded with a shutout effort for the Marlins. Turner struck out two batters in the outing and allowed only one walk. This was significantly better than his prior start, in which he put up three walks and failed to whiff a single batter.
As Fish Stripes readers undoubtedly know, Turner is an integral part of this year's Marlins team, so a promising second start is a good sign for the team. The Marlins will look for Turner to put up another strong performance, one hopefully with more strikeouts, which remain the most critical part of Turner's development.
Overall, the pitching staff performed very well in the loss. The Marlins struck out five batters and walked just two, though they also let through nine hits, including three doubles.
Anemic Offense
Unfortunately, the offense could not do anything close to what the Marlins pitching staff allowed. The Fish recorded just five hits and were shut out thanks in part to ten strikeouts. Wainwright produced six strikeouts on his own in his 4 2/3 innings, showing that he is seemingly in prime form. The rest of the Cardinals struck out four more batters, and the Fish only mustered one walk against them.
The team's only worthwhile contributor was Donovan Solano, who again squeezed out two hits, including one double. The double was the first extra-base hit for him in spring training. Solano is now hitting .542/.542/.591 for the spring campaign, easily among the better hitters on the team thus far.
Next Game: March 10, 1:05 PM EST, @ Atlanta Braves