Pitching Battle in Miami: Marlins win in seventeen innings

The Miami Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs two to one in a marathon game lasting seventeen innings. Miguel Rojas was the hero tonight singling in the winning run off of Brandon Morrow.

This was a game of great defense and tremendous pitching on both sides of the mound. For the Cubs Kyle Hendricks went six innings pitched, four hits, one earned run, three walks and five strikeouts. Caleb Smith came right back throwing five and one innings with four hits, one earned run, three walks and an impressive eight strikeouts. Smith made a statement tonight with his pitching, his stuff had great movement and he used every part of the plate.

The one mistake was a ball left high which Kris Bryant proceeded to put into to the stands in the bottom of the third inning. Smith showed he can go deep into games and for a team that walks a lot he did a great job striking them out. He also showed that under pressure he could work out of jams like he did in the second and third inning.

The Marlins went through many relievers all getting the job down from Turner, Steckenrider, Barraclough, Ziegler, O’Grady and Despaigne. The most impressive reliever was Jarlin Garcia who came in for long relief, going six innings strong giving up only one hit and getting six strikeouts. Garcia, who was called up from double A to perform long relief, showed off some dominant stuff. Don Mattingly really wanted to win this game (which I applaud); he went as far as bringing in Saturday’s starter Despaigne to pitch. While this will create some trouble for the rotation for the next few games I love the “battle for every win” mentality.

**Side note congrats to the fan for catching this foul ball and then humbly giving it to a young fan.**

Some bad news from tonight’s game right fielder Garrett Cooper was hit in the right hand. He is now day to day with a right wrist contusion (which could of been much worse).

Lewis “Fire and Brimstone” Brinson went four for eight and scored a run. The young man now has his first four hits as a Marlin and from the look of it there are many more of them to come. Brinson was held closely to first base every time he got there, already showing how much respect players have for his speed. The defense was also on display for Brinson who made a tremendous diving catch late in the game.

***Side note Lewis Brinson is a great Marlin fantasy option still available in most leagues, below is an article from fellow writer detailing Marlin fantasy options.***

Visual Representation of me watching the game in the seventeenth inning.

The Marlins fought a hard battle showing that they are not just going to quit despite what anyone thinks about them. The negative projections they are getting are just might serve to fuel them more. This is a great group of young kids playing that will be fun to watch this season. Miguel Rojas showed off that spirit with the game winning single. The narrative has shifted from that first pitch home run of opening day to the fighting fish we now see.

Swordfish: Jarlin Garcia

Flounder: Brandon Morrow

Play of the game: Miguel Rojas walk off single in the bottom of the seventeenth inning.

Attendance: 12,034

If you want to catch the game thread lead-up and subsequent commentary, read below.

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Welcome to game two, Marlins vs Cubs and with this don’t forget to place your Icthyomancy picks!

Here is an excerpt regarding the prediction contest, in case you have no idea what we’re talking about:

Attendance

Attendance is a big deal in Marlins baseball, like it or not. In each game, we will guess the attendance of the game, home or away, and the closest guess will be worth 2 points.

Individual Games

You can make your best prediction for game scores. A pass costs you nothing. Post your prediction of the score, and if it’s a direct hit (with the correct teams), that’s three points. If you pick the correct winner and by the actual number of runs, that’ll be two points. Predict which team wins, and that’s a single point.

Individual Predictions

These are our prop bets. You’re allowed to make up to two “outside the box” predictions for each contest. Points will be awarded based on the probability of something happening. If you’ve predicted something unfathomably rare (a no-hitter, pitcher hits two home runs, Justin Bour steals seven bases) and it comes true, that’s going to be a lot of points. Everyday things will be worth less. What the heck? The game is free - swing for the fences!

Matchup Summary: The Cubs are back at it again to take on the Miami Marlins but this time without Ian Happ, so rejoice there is hope! The Marlins will be sending out Caleb Smith who they acquired from the New York Yankees this past November. Dan Straily was supposed to make the start but after some inflammation in the right arm he is currently on the disabled list. The Cubs will be sending out Kyle Hendricks who had a great year last year looking to continue his momentum.

Something to look forward to for todays game is Kyle Schwarber’s defense out in left field, after a terrible game yesterday in the field I wonder if he can redeem himself today. The Marlins will continue to see if the can keep the offense going like yesterday and if the pitching can control itself today, this should be a good game to watch. Caleb Smith will be able to show why he deserves to stay in the rotation. Lewis Brinson is also yet to get a hit yet so hopefully today will solve that.

Thread Question:

Will Kyle Barraclough be the closer by the end of the season?