What went wrong in the Marlins’ doubleheader losses to the Mets, and what’s next
The Miami Marlins dropped both games of their doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday to begin a four-game, three-day series at Citi Field.
While most of the attention centered on second baseman Isan Diaz’s debut — and his towering, 422-foot home run off Jacob deGrom in the first game — there were other talking points to take note of in the losses.
Brigham’s bombardment
The Marlins had just successfully rallied to take a 4-2 lead on the Mets in the second game of the doubleheader when Jeff Brigham entered the game in the sixth inning. He threw a scoreless opening inning of relief despite running into a slight jam.
He couldn’t say the same in the seventh.
The Mets his three solo home runs — all on 3-2 counts — to take the lead for good.
J.D. Davis worked his way back from an 0-2 count to hit a 97.7 mph fastball 402 feet to right-center field.
Michael Conforo belted a 96.8 mph fastball 440 feet to right field. The Marlins outfield stood still as the ball left Conforto’s bat.
Pete Alonso, who started behind 1-2 in the count, took two curveballs for balls before sneaking a 95 mph fastball just over the left-field wall.
“I wanted to compete and make a pitch in the zone,” Brigham said. “They made good swings on it. I challenged them, and they got the best of me. I thought I had them pretty good [by being ahead in the count], but I did a poor job executing when you let the count run deep. They see a few pitches, and then you leave one out over the plate.”
Alcantara’s aggressiveness
Starter Sandy Alcantara once again ran into trouble early in a start only to show later in his outing just how good he could be when he gets locked in.
Alcantara allowed the first four hitters he faced to reach base on a walk, two singles and a hit-by-pitch to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead. He needed 35 pitches to get out of the frame.
But after that, he threw four scoreless innings before being pulled with 102 pitches.
“Sandy is a hard one to explain,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “You see no tempo early, no attack. The first two innings, he was wandering through the innings and then he finds a groove, and it’s kind of dominant stuff.
“When he gets to the point that he can get out of the gate with aggression, then he has a chance to be really good.”
Dugger’s debut
Diaz wasn’t the only Marlins player to make his MLB debut on Monday.
Pitcher Robert Dugger, the club’s No. 24 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, earned the start in the first game of the doubleheader while serving as the club’s 26th player for the day.
Dugger went through his lumps, giving up six earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings. He gave up a home run to Jeff McNeil on his first pitch of the game and ran into trouble in both the fourth and fifth innings.
He threw 85 pitches (49 for strikes) and primarily relied on his four-seam fastball and slider throughout his time on the mound.
“I was happy with the way he attacked,” Mattingly said. “You could tell he was trying to be in the zone. Just a little bit too much spray. Got himself in some tough counts, but I was happy with the way he looked out there. He didn’t look like he was tentative.”
Holaday’s homer
Backup catcher Bryan Holaday continued his offensive surge with a solo home run in the fifth inning to start a three-run rally.
With the homer, Holaday’s third of the year, he has recorded at least one hit in 13 of the last 14 games. He’s now slashing .301/.378/.466 on the season.
Anderson at the plate
Brian Anderson recorded four hits with three doubles and three runs scored over the two games Monday.
Anderson, who has showcased more power at the plate in his second full MLB season, has recorded at least one extra-base hit in three consecutive games and seven of his last 11 games overall.
Noesi to the rotation
The fifth spot of the Marlins’ starting rotation continues to be in flux following the Zac Gallen trade and with Pablo Lopez and Jose Urena on the injured list.
The latest pitcher to get a crack at starting for the Marlins: Hector Noesi.
The plan is for the 32-year-old to make his first major-league appearance since 2015 on Tuesday against the Mets. Jordan Yamamoto’s start is accordingly pushed back to Wednesday’s series finale.
Noesi spent the last two years pitching in the KBO League, South Korea’s highest level of baseball, before the Marlins signed him to a minor-league contract. The 6-3, 205-pound righty went 11-4 with a 3.82 ERA and 133 strikeouts to 30 walks in 125 innings in 21 starts for the Marlins’ Triple A affiliate New Orleans Baby Cakes. He made his MLB debut in 2011 and had stints in the big leagues with the New York Yankees (2011), Seattle Mariners (2012-2014), Texas Rangers (2014) and Chicago White Sox (2014-2015).
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 1:15 AM.
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