MIA 1, TB 2: Terrific Trevor and Not Much Else

Let’s get this out of the way for those who came here for it; the Marlins dropped the season and series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1. For the year, Miami goes winless in 4 matchups against the 2020 AL champs.

A welcome sight at loanDepot Park Wednesday though, was the return of Trevor Rogers.

In his first start since July 25th, Rogers reminded many why he finished 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, striking 5 and limiting Tampa to just 1 run over 6 innings. Walking just 1, Rogers threw 84 pitches, finishing with his second-best game score of the season, 62. At one point, the left-hander threw a pitch to Yandy Díaz clocked at 98.4 mph, the hardest such pitch of his career.

“Tonight was kind of just building off that last one in AAA, and then another good one tonight,” said Don Mattingly.

In his last rehab outing at AAA Jacksonville, Rogers authored 6 no-hit innings, striking out 12 in the process.

“He (Trevor) seemed to hold his stuff together and everything seemed to go really well.”

The Marlins' lone run came via Jon Berti’s 3rd home run of the season in the bottom of the 6th, the only real blemish on an otherwise stain-free outing from Drew Rasmussen. Matching Rogers pitch-for-pitch, Rasmussen struck out 4 over 6 innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.70.

Upon failing to score in the bottom of the 9th, Tampa would capitalize on the inherited runner in the 10th, as a Manuel Margot RBI single would prove the game-winning hit following another failed scoring opportunity by Miami.

Looking Ahead

With Thursday being a scheduled off-day, Miami will travel to Atlanta to begin a weekend series against the Braves. While Atlanta is yet to announce their starters for the three-game slate, the Marlins are set to give the ball to Sandy Alcantara (12-6, 2.13 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. First pitch is slated for 7:20 Eastern from Truist Park.

Of Note

• The Marlins' 60 runs scored in August were the 2nd fewest in a single month in franchise history. The team managed just 54 runs in August of 1994 before the player’s strike cut the season short.
• Miami finished the month of August hitting .196, the worst such mark in the majors. This also represents the worst-such month in franchise history from a batting average perspective.

Baseball-Savant