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Entering their final game of June, which marks the beginning of the second half of the 2019 season, we have all the analysis and highlights of the week regarding your Miami Marlins right here.
Marlins Game Recaps
The Marlins began their week with a win in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, then got swept by the Washington Nationals at home, but took the first two games against the Philadelphia Phillies. They went 3-3, and overall for the season, they are 32-49.
June 23—Marlins 6, Phillies 4; Jordan Yamamoto got the start against the Phillies and went five innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks but with seven strikeouts for the win and the sweep. The Marlins got six runs on 16 hits including HRs by JT Riddle, Garrett Cooper and Brian Anderson.
June 25—Nationals 6, Marlins 1; Trevor Richards was sent to the mound against the Nationals and gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings. The Marlins could not get the offense going, only scoring a run on five hits with Miguel Rojas having two of those hits and Curtis Granderson getting the RBI.
June 26—Nationals 7, Marlins 5; Zac Gallen made his second major league start going five innings allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. The Marlins only had six hits, but they did not go down without a fight. In the ninth inning, they scored four runs with a Bryan Holaday RBI and a three-run triple by Granderson.
June 27—Nationals 8, Marlins 5; Sandy Alcantara looked to help the Marlins avoid the sweep but could not, going six innings giving up six runs on seven hits and one walk with one strikeout. Rojas stayed hot in June by going 4-for-5 and 2 RBI.
June 28—Marlins 6, Phillies 2; Elieser Hernandez took the ball against the Phillies throwing 5 2⁄3 innings allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts and got his first win of the season.
The Marlins scored six runs on eight hits with HRs from Riddle and Anderson with Cooper contributing with three hits and 2 RBI.
June 29—Marlins 9, Phillies 6; Yamamoto had his least successful Marlins outing, only going four innings allowing four runs on three hits and four walks with four strikeouts. The offense picked him up, scoring nine runs on 15 hits with six runs coming in the seventh inning.
Neil Walker contributed a two-run HR and an RBI single in the game.
Roster Moves
On Friday, C Jorge Alfaro was reinstated from the 7-day concussion IL as the Marlins optioned C Wilkin Castillo to Triple-A New Orleans to create space. RHP Tayron Guerrero (finger blister) was placed on the 10-day IL and RHP Jeff Brigham was recalled from Triple-A.
On the mend, Jon Berti (oblique) and Caleb Smith (hip) are in the midst of minor league rehab assignments. Expect both of them back on the active roster within a week.
Prospect Spotlight
Outfielder Jerar Encarnación has made a name for himself in the short time he has been in the Marlins farm system. This season in particular—13 HR, .872 OPS in 77 G—has changed the perception of him and put him on the fast track to the majors. Andre Fernandez of The Athletic provides the full scoop on Encarnación right here (subscription required).
Brian Anderson: Sophomore Struggles or Emerging Star?
NEWSFLASH: Brian Anderson is still good. In some ways, he's the same player we saw in 2018. In other ways, he's *better* than ever.
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) June 28, 2019
On a Marlins roster with so many questions, Andy is perhaps the only building block position player already in place. https://t.co/YdNq8ip7s3
Anderson put up outstanding numbers in his rookie season last year. Despite a dip in batting average, he may be better offensively in 2019 as well as still great defensively. Fish Stripes’ own Daniel Toll has a look at how Anderson has turned things around after a slow start.
Marlins Closing in on Deal with First-Round Pick
Vanderbilt, led by first-round MLB Draft pick JJ Bleday, beat Michigan to clinch the 2019 College World Series. Now that his season is over, the Marlins can take steps toward signing Bleday to a contract. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has details and updates from president of baseball operations Michael Hill.
Bleday update: #Marlins set to meet with top Draft pick JJ Bleday https://t.co/bbViq0fIJD #MLBDraft #Vanderbilt #SEC #CollegeWorldSeries
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) June 27, 2019
Double Play Tandem
Shortstop Miguel Rojas and second baseman Starlin Castro have developed great rapport with one another over the past few seasons. In 2019, Rojas has turned the third-most double plays at his position, while Castro has turned the fourth-most. Wells Dusenbury of the Sun Sentinel takes you inside their relationship on and off the field.
Yams Continues Exceeding Expectations
Since moving into José Ureña’s vacant rotation spot, Jordan Yamamoto looks like he belongs. Despite no prior experience above the Double-A level, the positive results have come immediately (2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP in 23.0 IP).
Fish Stripes’ own Ethan Budowsky gives his thoughts on where this success stems from and how long Yamamoto will stay in the major leagues.
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 included right-hander Tyler Mitzel and Marlins radio broadcaster Glenn Geffner.
The Marlins have taken great strides the past couple of months and it is exciting to see all the hard work pay off. Stick here with Fish Stripes for all the latest news, analysis and highlights!