ARI 1, MIA 5; Bench gets it done to open the Suntan Classic

If there’s one thing South Florida weather has taught us over the last week: when it rains, it pours. The same can be applied to the Marlins offense Friday night.

In a span of five minutes during the fourth inning, four consecutive Marlins batters drove home at least one run against Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner. With two runners on and one out, Jacob Stallings singled to center field to score Avisail Garcia. One pitch later, Garrett Hampson hit a double to left field—his first hit as a Marlin—to drive home Jean Segura. Jon Berti then hit a two-RBI single and subsequently scored on a Garrett Cooper single on the very next at-bat.

Bumgarner was chased from the game after allowing five runs and nine hits in five innings.

“That’s kind of what we’re looking for,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “You know, not looking for the home run all the time and the extra-base hit all the time. Just continue your approach, and you click one when you click one.”

The Marlins did all this without Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who have been mainstays at the top of the lineup all season. Arraez injured his finger sliding head first into home plate Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Schumaker said it was only a laceration, and that he simply wanted to give the hot-hitting Arraez an extra day off on top of the team’s day off on Thursday. Schumaker gave a similar reason for keeping Chisholm out of the game Friday, citing that the center fielder had been the only one on the team to not have a day off this year.

Berti took Arraez’s defensive spot at second base Friday—and Chisholm’s spot as a leadoff hitter—going 2-for-4. Hampson also found himself in the starting lineup for the second time as a Marlin because of the reshuffling.

“Jon Berti at the top of that order, setting the tone right away from leadoff starting the game, stealing bags, playing great defense,” Schumaker said. “Garrett Hampson hasn’t played much, and then he gets a start spot today with a huge double. I’ve talked about a strong bench before. Good teams have a strong bench, and today we had a strong bench in that lineup.”

As a team, the Marlins only struck out two times (both from Hampson). The last time the Marlins had just two strikeouts in a game was September 1, 2018, according to Stathead.

Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers had perhaps his best outing of the season. Through the first six innings, he allowed just three hits and one walk.

It wasn’t until the seventh inning that Rogers got himself into a jam. After being anemic all night, the Diamondbacks opened the inning with two singles before Rogers was pulled for Huascar Brazoban.

With runners at the corners, Brazoban induced a 6-5 fielder’s choice that resulted in a run scoring from third. That run, credited to Rogers, was the only blemish for the Miami pitching staff. Brazoban, Dylan Floro, and A.J. Puk combined for three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.

Notes:

-Jorge Soler was removed in the seventh inning due to lower back tightness

-Sixto Sanchez is scheduled to pitch in an extended spring training game on Saturday

-J.T. Chargois (right oblique strain, 15-day IL) is still not throwing

-Johnny Cueto (right biceps tightness, 15-day IL) will throw a bullpen session in Jupiter Saturday

-Steven Okert (left adductor strain, 15-day IL) will throw a rehab game Saturday for Triple-A Jacksonville

-Joey Wendle (right intercostal strain, 10-day IL) is hitting off a tee and participating in defensive drills

-LoanDepot Park opened the doors to its own Marlins Museum, located by section 29 on the promenade level