With opportunities available in Marlins’ bullpen, relievers step up in extra-inning win
Miami Marlins reliever Jeff Brigham threw pitch after pitch, strike after strike, to Minnesota Twins leadoff man Max Kepler in the 12th inning.
Kepler, who hit a home run to open Thursday’s series finale at Marlins Park, fouled off pitch after pitch, strike after strike. He extended the battle as long as he could, trying to get the Twins back a lead they had lost three innings earlier when the Marlins rallied for three runs in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
Finally, on pitch 14, Kepler bit on Brigham’s 83.2 mph curveball that whizzed through the air for a few moments before landing in Brian Anderson’s glove in right field.
“That battle with Kepler was a lot of fun,” Brigham would say afterward. “It kind of wore me out, but I thought I made some good pitches, and he had a lot of good swings. It was a lot of fun.”
What was even more fun: Celebrating with teammates at home plate minutes later as Harold Ramirez hit a walk-off home run to seal the Marlins’ 5-4 win over the Twins, avoid a three-game sweep and secure a winning homestand after winning three of four against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While the ninth-inning rally by the offense to force extra innings and Ramirez’s home run to complete the comeback get the attention, the Marlins’ bullpen quietly threw six shutout innings against a Twins team that ranks third in Major League Baseball in batting average (.269) and has hit 210 home runs.
And, remember, this is a group that saw three of its key pieces in Sergio Romo, Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards traded away over the last week. The Marlins’ closer, one of their top high-leverage pitchers and a former starter with one of the best changeups in the league gone.
“You’re using guys differently,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It opens up windows of opportunities for guys and you get a chance to see who they are.”
With that came a chance for players like Brigham, guys who have teetered between the big-league club and the minor leagues or who held lesser roles throughout the season, to show what they can do in a more pressure-packed situation.
On Thursday, they stepped up.
“I can’t say that it could be better, right?” Mattingly said. “I think here we’re going to get a chance to see. When you have changes like that, obviously doors open to opportunities.”
Brigham exemplified that.
The 27-year-old righty had been called up to the big-league club and optioned back to Triple A New Orleans three times this year before being recalled again on Sunday following the Romo trade.
Brigham, a former starter at the minor-league level who was moved exclusively to the bullpen this season, threw two perfect innings to earn his first MLB win.
“It’s always good to get out there, get some outs and get in a good rhythm and pitch on a regular basis,” Brigham said. “Hopefully, we keep that going.”
Adam Conley, Tyler Kinley, Jarlin Garcia and Jose Quijada each threw one scoreless inning with a combined five strikeouts before Brigham closed out the win. Miami relievers retired the final 16 Twins batters they faced.
Conley worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by forcing Miguel Sano to fly out.
Kinley struck out two in his first major-league appearance since June 9.
Garcia has now thrown 20 consecutive scoreless innings — the third-longest streak in franchise history.
Quijada, a candidate to be the Marlins’ closer, struck out two.
“We got a lot of guys who battle,” Brigham said. “We had a ton of movement and everybody is just stepping up and embracing their new role. I love the guys out there.”
And reinforcements could be on the way soon. Righties Drew Steckenrider and Austin Brice are beginning rehab assignments.
“Any time you get an opportunity to get on the mound in these games, you have to take advantage of it,” Brigham said. “I know a lot of these guys will.”
Improved performance
Thursday’s shutout showing by the bullpen just continued the Marlins’ latest trend of successful outings from their relievers.
The Marlins’ bullpen posted a 3.22 ERA in July, a mark that ranked fourth-best in MLB behind the Cleveland Indians (1.69), New York Yankees (3.14) and St. Louis Cardinals (3.16).
In fact, Marlins relievers have collectively lowered their ERA each month of the season. They had a 5.51 mark in April, 5.38 in May and 4.74 in June before posting their best month so far in July.
This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 6:32 PM.
.JPG)