Our Noticias, 4/21/19: Marlins look to end slump, shake up roster and coaching staff, Brinson facing demotion without improvement

Another week of baseball means another week of Miami Marlins news, analysis and stories brought to you by Fish Stripes.

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Marlins Game Recaps

Another week started tough for the Marlins that saw them lose the series finale to the Philadelphia Phillies, get swept by the Chicago Cubs but were able to bounce back against the Washington Nationals and win the series attempting for the sweep on Sunday.

April 14—Phillies 3, Marlins 1; After a game started by José Ureña, who went seven innings with seven strikeouts and only one run allowed, the Marlins lost in 14 innings after the bullpen went six scoreless until Wei-Yin Chen allowed two runs on a Jean Segura 2-run HR. Brian Anderson got the only run on the board for the Marlins hitting a Solo HR in the sixth inning.

April 15—Cubs 7, Marlins 2; Trevor Richards could not complete five innings as he gave up five runs on four walks and four hits with only three strikeouts. One of the runs came off a Chad Wallach homer in the fourth inning. Neil Walker had two hits as well.

April 16—Cubs 4, Marlins 0; Pablo López threw five solid innings striking out six only allowing two runs on five hits. The Marlins got only seven hits and could not get a run on the board. The only extra-base hit came off of an Austin Dean double.

April 17—Cubs 6, Marlins 0; Sandy Alcantara started this game going six innings allowing five runs on seven hits, but with seven strikeouts. The Marlins were again shut out for a second straight game, only getting five hits with Jorge Alfaro being the lone Marlin with more than one hit in the game.

April 19—Marlins 3, Nationals 2; Caleb Smith was on the mound hoping to break the four-game skid that the Marlins were on. He went six innings allowing one run on five hits with eight strikeouts. Starlin Castro and Miguel Rojas both got two hits each. While Isaac Galloway, Martin Prado and Curtis Granderson getting RBIs to give the Marlins the victory.

April 20—Marlins 9, Nationals 3; Ureña gets his first win of the season, going six innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts.

The Marlins offense showed up, scoring nine runs on 11 hits against mighty Max Scherzer the Nationals. Curtis Granderson had a solo HR and 2 RBIs on the night to go along with two hits. He was not the only Marlin to get two hits though as Rojas, Anderson and Starlin Castro also had two hits each with the latter two getting some RBIs in the game.

Exclusive Pics

Fish Stripes photographer Danis Sosa (@dsosaphotography) captured all the sights from Saturday’s Party en el Parque. Enjoy!

Marlins Fire Hitting Coach

Hitting coach Mike Pagliarulo was relieved of his duties Friday night after another night of lackluster offense for the Marlins (even though they ended their four-game losing streak). This was Pagliarulo’s third season in that role for the Marlins. Jeff Livesey has been promoted to interim hitting coach while Eric Duncan, a minor league hitting coordinator, will be taking the position of assistant hitting coach.

Keep a close eye on the younger hitters moving forward, who hopefully improve their plate discipline with a different voice guiding them.

Flurry of Roster Moves Made

MLB reinforcements: OF Isaac Galloway, INF Jon Berti, LHP Jarlin García

MiLB demotions: SS JT Riddle, OF Austin Dean

• Injuries: RHP Austin Brice to 10-day injured list, RHP Riley Ferrell from 10-day to 60-day IL

Riddle was slashing .156/.156/.344 through 32 plate appearances. Dean had fallen into a 1-for-16 slump following his big 5 RBI performance, while struggling with the fundamentals defensively.

Lewis Brinson Out of Lineup to Regroup

Manager Don Mattingly has not started Lewis Brinson in center field since Tuesday. His explanation, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro:

“It may be a couple [of days]. He’s really struggling, looking at some of the stuff. We’re doing some stuff with him, working on seeing the baseball a little better, and knowing exactly what to do up there, and then we’ll get it going again.”

No way to sugarcoat it: Brinson is arguably the league’s worst hitter since arriving in the Christian Yelich trade (.198/.239/.326, 53 wRC+). If he shows no improvement, there is a chance he could be sent down to Triple-A.

Does Trevor Richards have the Nastiest Changeup in MLB?

Richards has an effective signature pitch that has caused headaches for opposing hitters. He already has tons of swing-and-misses from his fastball, but the swing-and-misses from his changeup are top 10 in the majors this early in the season.

David Wilson of the Miami Herald wrote a detailed breakdown of Richards’ changeup, which can be read here.

Ranking all 2019 Marlins ROY Candidates

Nobody in the Marlins organization has an easy road toward NL Rookie of the Year glory. It’s a stacked field, and most of the team’s core no longer has eligibility. But this article by Ely Sussman picks out seven Marlins candidates, who if absolutely everything breaks the right way, can emerge as the first Fish winner since José Fernández in 2013.

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With the Marlins looking to turn things around in the next week, stay tuned to Fish Stripes for all your Miami Marlins news, stories and analysis.