BAL 7, MIA 5; Marlins Can’t Overcome Rough First inning, Alfaro Injury

The Marlins faced adversity from the beginning of Tuesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, and things only continued to get worse as the game went on.

Marlins starting pitcher Nick Neidert allowed three hits, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch in the first inning. Before the Marlins even came up to bat, they were already down 3-0.

Neidert seemed to settle down with a 12-pitch inning in the second, but then allowed two solo home runs to Trey Mancini and Freddy Galvis. Command has been an issue for right-hander.

“It was just a lot of balls midline,” Don Mattingly said. “(The Orioles) are a club that you got to be able to get the ball to specific spots. looked like he left a bunch of balls—even his breaking ball—kind of mid-thigh area.”

Overall, Neidert gave up five earned runs on five hits in three innings of work.

To make matters worse, catcher Jorge Alfaro exited the game after legging out a ground ball in the fourth inning. According to the Marlins, he left due to left hamstring soreness and will be further evaluated before they make an IL decision. This was the same hamstring to cause him to miss four games from April 7-12 earlier this season.

Center fielder Starling Marte is already on the 10-day IL as of Tuesday after sustaining a non-displaced fracture in his 12th rib.

“This is going to test us,” Miguel Rojas said. “Last year we got tested in a different way. But this year, with a couple of injuries early on, we are going to test the depth in the organization. It’s going to be about how guys will embrace the opportunity. There’s a lot of talent in this organization.”

After looking helpless against Orioles starting pitcher Matt Harvey through the first four innings, the Marlins offense woke up in the fifth. Adam Duvall and Brian Anderson each got back-to-back RBI, driving home one run each. Anderson almost had another RBI back in the first, but was again a victim of great defense by the warning track. Austin Hays, who replaced Anthony Santander in right field after he hurt his ankle on a pickoff play in the top of the inning, made a running catch against the wall to save a run and an extra base hit for Anderson. Anderson’s BABIP this year is .227.

The Marlins tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning from a Miguel Rojas single and Jesús Aguilar sacrifice fly to pull within a run, but the offense couldn’t find any juice after that. Rojas finished the night 4-for-4 with a triple.

The bullpen did their best to keep Miami in the game. In six innings, Paul Campbell, Richard Bleier, Anthony Bass, Ross Detwiler, and Adam Cimber combined to allow just two runs (only one of which was earned), four hits, and two walks.

The Marlins will have a chance to avenge the loss Wednesday afternoon before heading off on a west coast road trip. Trevor Rogers—who is coming off a five-inning, seven-strikeout performance against the Atlanta Braves—will face Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann at 1:10 p.m.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Lewis Brinson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in his return from Triple-A. Brinson was called up Tuesday to replace the injured Marte.
• After blowing two saves as the Marlins’ closer to start the season, Bass has gone five consecutive outings without giving up a run.
• Orioles’ starting pitcher Matt Harvey earned his first win since July 13, 2019.

Baseball Savant

Fish Picks Answer Key

1. Orioles
2. Under
3. Over
4. Yes
5. Orioles