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The Miami Marlins have come down hard from the terrific stretch of games they had over the last couple of weeks. The pitching staff is bitten by the injury bug and the offense has frequently gone silent. Here are the best stories, highlights and analysis for the week regarding your Marlins.
Marlins Game Recaps
The Marlins lost the series finale to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings, went on to lose the first two games in a series against the St. Louis Cardinals and won the last game, and split the first two games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. For the week, they went 2-4 and overall for the season, they are 25-43.
June 9—Braves 7, Marlins 6; Pablo López got the ball against the Braves and did not disappoint going 6 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. Austin Dean got the offense started by hitting a lead-off Solo HR. Dean ended up with 3 RBIs. Starlin Castro, Martín Prado and Bryan Holaday each recorded 2 hits and an RBI. Sergio Romo gave up 4 runs with the Marlins leading 5-1 which ultimately cost the Marlins the game in the later innings.
June 10—Cardinals 4, Marlins 1; Sandy Alcantara went to the mound against the Cardinals and had control issues early on as he only went 5 innings allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 4 walks but with 6 strikeouts. The Marlins outhit the Cardinals 7-4, but could only score 1 run on a Jorge Alfaro RBI ground-out.
June 11—Cardinals 7, Marlins 1; Elieser Hernandez got his first start this year for the Marlins going 5 plus innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk with 7 strikeouts. The Marlins again couldn’t score many runs, only getting 1 run on a Miguel Rojas RBI single.
June 12—Marlins 9, Cardinals 0; Jordan Yamamoto had a stellar big league debut for the Marlins. Recalled from Double-A Jacksonville on very short notice, the right-hander went 7 innings, only giving up 3 hits and 2 walks with no runs scored and 5 strikeouts.
The offense showed up for the Marlins getting 9 runs on 12 hits on a Garrett Cooper grand slam and a three-run HR by Curtis Granderson late in the game.
June 14—Pirates 11, Marlins 0; Trevor Richards got the start against the Pirates and was not able to keep the Pirates offense down. He allowed 11 hits (career worst) and 5 runs in 5 innings with only 1 strikeout (career low). The Marlins managed 9 hits, but were not able to score a run against the pitching.
June 15—Pablo hoped to continue his string of good starts against the Pirates and went 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts.
Pablo López realized he was facing a Pirates team that had an aggressive, put-the-ball-in-play approach. So he tried to take advantage of that. "The pitch count will take care of itself."
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) June 16, 2019
: @TheRealACoN pic.twitter.com/S9SUiNL944
The Marlins managed to score 4 runs on 10 hits with Harold Ramírez and Cooper getting 3 hits each and Ramirez getting an RBI.
Roster Updates/Injuries
Updated Marlins roster
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) June 14, 2019
Blue is LHP/LHB, Red is switch-hitter, below the line is injured list pic.twitter.com/mVIOLOSnXM
The Marlins have been busy lately, modifying their roster after a couple of injuries.
INF Martín Prado was placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain and RHP José Ureña is sidelined for at least two months with a herniated disc, removing any hope of him being traded prior to the July 31 deadline.
Thankfully, reinforcements are coming. Peter O’Brien, Neil Walker and Chad Wallach each took batting practice on Saturday and ace Caleb Smith has been cleared to begin a throwing program. Rule 5 Draft pick Riley Ferrell is all the way up to Triple-A New Orleans on his rehab assignment.
On the minor league side, outfielder Monte Harrison was activated from the injured list, although shortstop José Devers is reportedly out of action until August.
Marlins Relying on Player Versatility
With their depth being tested, the Marlins are lucky to have players who can play more than one position and fill out the lineup in various combinations. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald has more insight into the mixing and matching of defensive alignments on the field.
Draft Pick Signings
The most notable Marlins draft signing so far has been second-round pick Nasim Nuñez. The 18-year-old shortstop got to tour the park, participate in BP and take grounders in the infield the day he signed.
It’s official, Nasim Nuñez is a Miami Marlin. #JuntosMiami pic.twitter.com/Av2eWJlg4q
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 10, 2019
Overall, the Marlins have signed 20 of their draft picks with another wave to come after the College World Series.
Up to date #Marlins #MLBDraft signings pic.twitter.com/YseWQJ8ldR
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) June 13, 2019
Attendance Down even after Enhancements to Park
Drawing fans to #Marlins Park has always been an issue, but this season it's been even worse.
— Wells Dusenbury (@DuseReport) June 13, 2019
Despite spending $15 million on ballpark enhancements, attendance is down 7.5% from last year. https://t.co/6UXPwF4IGH
In the second year of their rebuild, the Marlins organization has tried to “enhance” their ballpark in order to get more fans to come out. Unfortunately, that still proves to be a difficult challenge, as attendance is down from last year. Wells Dusenbury of the Sun Sentinel has a detailed look at the attendance numbers, which can be read here.
(Worth noting: the Marlins announced a 11,464 paid attendance on Saturday, their largest home crowd of the month.)
Ranking Marlins Top Prospects
Incorporating draft picks into the mix, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic updated his rankings of the top 20 Marlins prospects (subscription required). Right-hander Sixto Sánchez leads the way, followed by first-rounder JJ Bleday and Triple-A star Zac Gallen.
Programming note: Fish Stripes will unveil our updated Top 30 list on Monday.
Derek Jeter Upbeat About State of Franchise
With the way the draft went for the Marlins, fans should be very happy about the talent haul and what could be for the future of the Marlins. CEO Derek Jeter is pretty upbeat about it considering the praise that his front office is receiving from analysts across the industry.
Jeter joined the FOX Sports Florida broadcast booth in the third inning on Friday to field questions about the rebuilding process.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expanded further on the state of the Marlins and how we’ll need more time to assess these acquisitions. The article can be read here.
Podcast Episodes
The Fish Stripes podcast is home to Miami Marlins shows Fish Bites, Earning Their Stripes and A-Ball with Erik Oas. All new episodes are posted to FishStripes.com/podcasts. You can also find them on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods.
Special guests this past week include Marlins prospects Isan Díaz and Alex Vesia.
The Marlins are hoping to end the week on a high note after losing the past couple of series. Whether they win or lose, stick with Fish Stripes for your latest news, analysis and highlights regarding your Miami Marlins!