Earning Their Stripes: 5/11/21

The Miami Marlins four top minor league affiliates went a combined 3-1 in action on Tuesday night.

Triple-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4, Durham Bulls 3

Attendance: 2,737 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Jacksonville didn’t take long to get ahead in their road opener. Jazz Chisholm Jr., on a rehab assignment, opened the contest with a line-drive double. Three batters later, Jesús Sánchez went deep for the fourth time this season (in seven games) for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Monte Harrison added a two-run triple to double the Shrimp’s advantage.

The Bulls cobbled together a run each in the fourth, seventh, and eighth frames, but couldn’t close the gap further. Shawn Morimando started the contest for Jacksonville, putting 42-of-68 over the plate through four innings. He walked four, threw a wild pitch, gave up one run on two hits, and struck out eight Bulls. Preston Guilmet earned the victory with two scoreless relief innings, and Steven Okert earned his second save by striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

No Jacksonville player finished with multiple hits. Jorge Alfaro, also on a rehab gig, went 0-for-3 from the plate. Sánchez improved his impressive seasonal OPS to 1.779. Nick Neidert will take the hill for the Shrimp in Wednesday afternoon’s showdown, starting at 1:05 PM.

Double-A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos 1, Birmingham Barons 5

Attendance: 3,669 at Blue Wahoos Stadium

The Birmingham Barons were intent on spoiling Pensacola’s home opener, and were largely successful. The bad guys scored five runs through the first three innings off Wahoos starter Max Meyer. Meyer allowed eight hits through four innings, walking two and striking out two. He put 40-of-71 pitches over the plate.

Pensacola’s offense, such as it was, was led by Demetrius Sims with a single and a double. The Blue Wahoos run scored on a Victor Victor Mesa double-play ball in the third inning, when Lázaro Alonso crossed the plate.

Wednesday’s affair, kicking off at 7:35 PM, will see the Wahoos give Jake Eder a chance to continue his wicked start to the season. Eder whiffed 12 in five innings in his first start, walking three but only allowing one hit.

High-A

Beloit Snappers 3, South Bend Cubs 0

Attendance: 450 at Pohlman Field

Zach McCambley was the big story out of High-A ball on Tuesday. The Marlins’ number 23 prospect and recent third round selection retired all 21 of the batters he faced through seven innings, striking out eight while putting 56-of-85 pitches in the black. The only blemish on the Snappers pitching box score was an eighth-inning double off Josh Simpson, who otherwise struck out the side. Zack Leban struck out the side in the ninth for his second save of the season.

Unsurprisingly, McCambley cracked MLB Pipeline’s daily list of top prospect performers.

Beloit got out to an early lead with a second-inning leadoff homer from Will Banfield, his second of the season. In the eighth, Connor Scott doubled Thomas Jones home to make it 2-0, and Banfield drove Scott home with a single to set what would remain the final score. Scott also a base in the contest.

Scott and Banfield each finished with a pair of hits, with the other two collected by Thomas Jones (double), and Jhan Marinez (single). Beloit will host game two Wednesday night starting at 7:35 PM.

Single-A

Jupiter Hammerheads 5, Palm Beach Cardinals 2

Attendance: 0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium (game not open to public)

The Marlins number 25 prospect, Eury Pérez, started for the Hammerheads and struck out five in as many innings, holding the Cards scoreless on one hit and a pair of walks. Edison Suriel pitched two innings, allowing one run, and Justin Evans followed in similar fashion, striking out three.

Jupiter got onto the board with a Troy Johnson RBI-single in the second inning. J.D. Orr followed with a two-run single, then later added a two-run triple in the seventh inning. Orr’s four RBI was a professional career-high, and he added an outfield assist to cap things off.

The Hammerheads will be the first in action on Wednesday’s slate, with the first pitch set for noon to another empty house. Dax Fulton will take his second turn in the rotation.

Checking in with the Top 30 MLB Pipeline Prospects

1. Sixto Sánchez (JAX IL)
2. J.J. Bleday (PEN) 0-for-4, 2 SO, .477 OPS, one outfield assist
3. Max Meyer (PEN) 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 5.00 ERA
4. Edward Cabrera (JAX IL)
5. Lewin Díaz (JAX) 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.084 OPS
6. Jesús Sánchez (JAX) 1-for-1, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1.779 OPS
7. Braxton Garrett (JAX)
8. José Devers (JAX) 1-for-4, 1 2B, .778 OPS
9. Dax Fulton (JUP)
10. Nick Neidert (JAX)
11. Victor Mesa Jr. (JUP) 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 SO, .581 OPS
12. Peyton Burdick (PEN) 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 SO, .583 OPS
13. Nasim Nuñez (JUP) 0-for-4, 2 SO, .500 OPS
14. Monte Harrison (JAX) 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 SO, 1 3B, .840 OPS
15. Kameron Misner (BEL) 0-for-3, 1 BB, 3 SO, .733 OPS
16. Connor Scott (BEL) 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB, 1.055 OPS
17. Kyle Nicolas (BEL)
18. Griffin Conine (BEL) 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 SO, .569 OPS
19. José Salas (rookie)
20. Yiddi Cappe (rookie)
21. Jerar Encarnación (PEN) 0-for-4, 3 SO, .720 OPS
22. Jordan Holloway (MIA)
23. Zach McCambley (BEL) 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 1.64 ERA
24. Jake Eder (PEN)
25. Eury Pérez (JUP) 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1.13 ERA
26. Evan Fitterer (rookie)
27. Paul Campbell (suspended)
28. Will Banfield (BEL) 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 SO, 1 HR, .476 OPS
29. Jorge Guzman (MIA IL)
30. Osiris Johnson (JUP) 0-for-4, 3 SO, .784 OPS

Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow morning for the next update on the Marlins’ minor leagues.