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The Marlins had exactly the kind of game they needed after being swept by the Nationals. They struck first and never looked back in the 7-2 victory over the Padres.
Caleb Smith was on the mound today and all he needed was some offense to back up his tremendous pitching. Smith pitched seven strong innings of one-run ball.
The Marlins in the top of the first strung together five hits in a row to get the ball rolling. Three of those hits were singles, while the other two were doubles. This gave the Fish an early 4-0 lead. The Padres scored one run in the second inning, but that would be their only production until the ninth.
The Fish would also score a run in the third inning. Starlin Castro started the inning off with a double. Cameron Maybin would single afterward, bringing Castro home. The Fish would tack on two more insurance runs in the ninth inning. Producing hits back to back was the key in this win for the Fish.
The Marlins offense came alive in this one, with six players having multi-hit games. Five players drove in runs during the game.
The Padres, on the other hand, looked sloppy and their defense created extra scoring opportunities. The Marlins made sure to take advantage.
Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 beat the Padres. pic.twitter.com/o5DeFTQjZR
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) May 29, 2018
The lineup that the Fish put out there is not impressive at all, to say the least. Hopefully this kind of game will allow the players to get hot and continue producing on offense.
The bullpen came in for the eighth and ninth innings (Drew Steckenrider and Nick Wittgren, respectively). Wittgren allowed a run, but still shut the door without much suspense.
Dating back to 2017, this was the sixth consecutive win for the Fish over the Padres.
They will look to keep it up tomorrow night when Dan Straily battles Tyson Ross. Game time 10:10 pm ET.
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Swordfish: Caleb Smith (.156 WPA)
Flounder: Eric Lauer (-.377)
Play of the game: Marlins offense as a whole
Attendance: 27,932
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Pitching Matchup
| Name | Team | IP | ERA | FIP | K/9 | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | IP | ERA | FIP | K/9 | fWAR |
| Caleb Smith | Marlins | 49.1 | 3.83 | 3.05 | 11.86 | 1.2 |
| Eric Lauer | Padres | 27.0 | 6.67 | 5.59 | 8.33 | -0.2 |
Matchup Summary
The Marlins are starting a long road trip today in San Diego. They are coming off a bad series, in which the Nationals swept the Fish.
The Padres (22-32) are more of the Marlins’ speed, so there should be some redemption this series for the Fish.
Caleb Smith will be starting Monday afternoon. He pitched a great game against the Mets last week. Meanwhile, fellow rookie left-hander Eric Lauer takes the mound for the Padres, coming off his own quality performance against the Nationals.
The Marlins offense has been cold as of late and Don Mattingly isn’t making things easy on himself with a lineup that includes light-hitting backups Bryan Holaday (.459 OPS in 2018) and Yadiel Rivera (.480 OPS). Later on this trip, the club faces the contending Diamondbacks and Cardinals, so now is the time to get straightened out.
Thread Question: Which team is going to give the Marlins the hardest time on this road trip?