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One week into September and the Miami Marlins are still looking towards their future with the call-ups of some of their minor league players. The hope is that they can help bring some offense to the lineup and some relief to a tired bullpen. We might have to wait until next week to see if they improve but you don’t have to wait to see that Fish Stripes has all the latest news, highlights and analysis from the past week regarding your Marlins!
Marlins Game Recaps
The Marlins ended their series against the with a loss, suffering a series sweep against the Washington Nationals. The Marlins managed to take two out of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates before losing the first two games against the Kansas City Royals. For the week, they are 2-4, and for the season, they are now 50-91.
September 1—Nationals 9, Marlins 3; Caleb Smith took the mound against the Nationals but went 5+ innings allowing 7 runs(6 earned) on 7 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. The Marlins offense did not do much only getting 4 hits with Starlin Castro hitting a solo HR.
September 3—Marlins 5, Pirates 4; Sandy Alcantara had a big game against the Pirates, going 7 innings allowing 4 runs on 3 hits with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. The Marlins went into the 9th inning losing but Miguel Rojas came up big with a game-tying solo HR and Garrett Cooper hit the go-ahead solo HR in the 10th inning.
September 4—Pirates 6, Marlins 5; Robert Dugger pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts against the Pirates. Castro went 4-for-5 with a 2-run HR while Cooper had yet another impactful performance—3-for-4, 2-run HR and 3 RBIs.
September 5—Marlins 10, Pirates 7; Elieser Hernandez simply didn’t have his best start, lasting just 3 innings allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. But the Marlins offense bailed him out by scoring 10 runs on 16 hits with Neil Walker, Jorge Alfaro and Isan Díaz having 2 or more RBIs and Harold Ramirez contributing a solo HR.
September 6—Royals 3, Marlins 0; Pablo López got the start against the Royals going 6+ innings allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and no walks with 6 strikeouts. The Marlins managed 7 hits but scored 0 runs with no player having more than one hit.
September 7—Royals 7, Marlins 2; Caleb Smith threw 6 innings of shutout ball against the Royals allowing 4 hits with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts. The Marlins scored only 2 runs on a Caleb Smith RBI hit by pitch and a Harold Ramirez RBI single.
Roster Moves
Early in the week, the Marlins recalled OF Magneuris Sierra, LHP Brian Moran and C Tyler Heineman from Triple-A. To make room on the roster, INF/OF Brian Anderson was transferred to the 60-day injured list and designated Wilkin Castillo for assignment. The most recent call-up was LHP Jose Quijada. The rookie is now in his fourth separate stint as a big leaguer this season.
Brian Moran Debuts Against Brother
Brian Moran made his debut with the Marlins against not only the Pittsburgh Pirates, but also his younger brother, Colin Moran, who he struck out in his one appearance in the series. Brian pitching against Colin marks the first time in modern baseball history—since at least 1900—that a player debuted against their brother’s team.
Sandy Alcantara Hosts Charity Softball Tournament
Sandy Alcantara has shown how much he cares not only about his community in Miami, but also in the Dominican Republic as he hosted a charity softball tournament to benefit kids in his hometown in the DR. He dedicated his 24th birthday on Saturday to this selfless cause.
According to Andre Fernandez of The Athletic (subscription required), 16 adult teams participated and combined to donate approximately $15,000 worth of supplies for the youth players in his home country.
Jose Urena Suited For Closer’s Role
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José Ureña got his first save since 2016 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and looks suited for the role. Although Ureña has been a starting pitcher for the past two seasons, his usage at the back end of the bullpen may solidify what has been a carousel of unsuccessful closer candidates since the Marlins traded Sergio Romo in late July. The full article by Wells Dusenbury can be read here.
Players in Reach of Individual Milestones
With the end of the season fast approaching, there are still individual milestones that some Marlins players can shoot for. Starlin Castro, Curtis Granderson, Caleb Smith and Martin Prado can reach certain milestones this season with a few weeks to spare. The full article can be read here.
5-Step Offseason Plan
To many, the 2019 Marlins season has been a season of struggle, but the potential of future players has many excited for the 2020 season. Necessary steps to improve the team include adding to their bullpen, addressing the managerial hole and adding a leader or strong bat to the lineup. The full article by Fish Stripes’ own Danny Martinez can be read here.
For this season, losing was part of the process. Test the young arms, save some $ on payroll, lock up premium draft position.
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) September 1, 2019
But not in 2020. There NEEDS to be progress at the MLB level.
Laying out the steps for a smart, aggressive Marlins offseason https://t.co/Y9p1dPy9bJ
The Marlins continue to look for answers to their offense both now and in the future and hope these September call-ups emerge as legitimate candidates. Hopefully, they can pull out a few more wins before the season ends. Through it all, stick with Fish Stripes for all your Marlins news, analysis, and highlights!