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Caleb Smith and the Marlins were downed by three Reds home runs in an 8-5 loss Tuesday night. Former Fish farmhand Luis Castillo got the win, despite surrendering five runs of his own.
Plain and simple, Caleb Smith needs to be better. A mediocre month has pushed his ERA above 4.00 for the first time since early April. https://t.co/HZTlN5YTQD
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 28, 2019
Smith’s rotation-mate Pablo López returned Monday night after a two-month absence and put up this line:
Stuff looked sharp for Pablo López. A couple costly extra-base hits tho.
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 27, 2019
5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (86 pitches) pic.twitter.com/kEcOnXa2Vy
I changed my Twitter handle to @hitbypitchratio because of a joke with my father regarding the possibly excessive amount of stats thrown at us these days. This was before I wrote here and discovered Derek Dietrich was a modern-era king of the stat. So when he gets plunked by the Marlins, it is newsworthy in my book. Take a look at this beaut. Probably should have been called a strike.
Now and forever, our HBP king
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 26, 2019
This pitch was in the strike zone pic.twitter.com/TqZLio6tvp
The Tank Race is heating up! The Marlins are now projected for the third-worst record in baseball.
As we transition to news from the lower levels, how about a minor-league award for a guy who’s currently in the majors?
Another accolade for Isan! The league's top second baseman in 2019 becomes the first New Orleans position player in 14 years to land on the All-PCL squad. https://t.co/pl6Z3efMrG
— New Orleans Baby Cakes (@cakesbaseball) August 26, 2019
Miguel Rojas’ rehab seems on track in New Orleans, making a pit-stop in oncoming traffic Tuesday:
Miguel Rojas looks pretty healthy! His first swing of the game in New Orleans... pic.twitter.com/7LHuEB3GXi
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 27, 2019
Magneurys Sierra ended that game with a walk-off swinging bunt:
Magneuris Sierra was the walk-off hero for New Orleans, and it is EXACTLY what you would expect a Magneuris Sierra walk-off to look like pic.twitter.com/gGzgWqDmyA
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 28, 2019
Brian Anderson’s season is over, but he won’t need surgery:
No hand surgery required for Brian Anderson, Mattingly says
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 27, 2019
As promised, here is your stat of the day. It’s really a 2-for1. Bunt Experts assemble!
It's Curtis Granderson with 2. The Marlins also rank dead last among NL teams in sacrifice bunt success rate (53.7%).
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) August 27, 2019
If you or somebody you know is a Bunt Expert™️, please send the team your resume and cover letter.
Get your podcasts here! We’ve got a Nick Neidert interview on Earning their Stripes while outfielder Davis Bradshaw is the topic of this week’s A-ball with Erik Oas.
And I leave you with a Fan Post from RonCox20, which offers a fan’s perspective on the rebuild and suggests it’s a good time to be a Marlins fan.