Marlins pitching implodes vs Mets. Miami loses its spot atop the NL East as a result
The wave of momentum the Miami Marlins were riding appears to have crashed. Their hold on first place in the National League East disappeared with it.
Outside of a ninth-inning rally, little went right for the Marlins in their 11-4 loss to the New York Mets on Monday to start a four-game series at Marlins Park.
Starting pitcher Jordan Yamamoto barely made it through 1 1/3 innings. The bullpen gave up four home runs — two each to Robinson Cano and Pete Alonso. The offense only managed to turn 11 hits and 19 total baserunners into four runs.
And the Marlins’ losing streak has extended to three consecutive games. They have lost six of their past eight overall.
To amplify things, the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 7-6, meaning Atlanta (14-10, .583 winning percentage) has supplanted Miami (9-7, .565) for first place in the division based on winning percentage.
Now, a reminder: This is a team that is without 17 players from its Opening Day roster, the result of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the team following the Marlins’ first series of the year at Philadelphia. The outbreak sidelined three members of their starting rotation, eight of their original 12 relievers, and their starting shortstop, catcher and right fielder. Their starting second baseman opted out of the season, and their starting left fielder has been out since Saturday while on the Bereavement List.
They managed to find success early following the loss of more than half of their roster, winning five consecutive games after a week in quarantine.
But the success has faded quickly since then.
Monday was the latest example.
Yamamoto’s struggles
It started with Yamamoto’s shortest outing of his MLB career and the continuing of his struggles early this season. The 24-year-old righty lasted just 1 1/3 innings while giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks against the New York Mets in the first of a four-game series at Marlins Park.
The team optioned Yamamoto to its alternate training site in Jupiter after the game.
“He just hasn’t been himself,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “We have a lot of confidence in him, but he isn’t a confident guy right now. We just have to get him back to being himself and this is not the place to be doing that. He needs to get himself back on track.”
So, to recap, Yamamoto’s first three starts of the season played out as follows:
He’s managed just 8 2/3 innings of work and has given up 11 earned runs, which puts him at an 11.42 ERA. Opponents are hitting .410 against him after being held to a .191 clip last year. Yamamoto has given up hard hits, defined as an exit velocity of at least 95 mph, on 63.3 percent of balls put into play (19 of 30).
The average velocity on both his four-seam fastball and slider — which account for about 66 percent of his total pitches thrown — has dropped about 1.5 mph each. The four-seam fastball has averaged 89.9 mph this year compared to 91.5 mph in 2019. He’s averaging 77.5 mph with the slider compared to 79 mph last year.
“We just think physically, he came out of that first break from spring to summer and just wasn’t the same,” Mattingly said pregame. “Not sure what happened in between there, but [pitching coach] Mel [Stottlemyre Jr.] said even when he got to where he could start throwing again, it just wasn’t the same. I’m not quite sure what happened between. We think it’s just a matter of getting his arm strength back.”
But time is of the essence in a 60-game season.
And the Marlins, who are trying to hold on return to their early on-field success, realized they couldn’t afford to keep trotting Yamamoto out every fifth game and risk getting repeat performances like his first three, especially when the rest of the rotation has performed well.
Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernandez have dazzled early when asked to pick up extra responsibilities. Lopez is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .222 batting average with 19 strikeouts over 16 innings. Hernandez, who beat out Yamamoto for the final spot in the rotation heading into the season, has a 1.84 ERA through three starts although he hasn’t gone past the sixth inning.
Even Daniel Castano posted a quality start against the Braves on Saturday, giving up just one run in six-plus innings. Mattingly said Castano will start the Marlins’ series finale with the Mets on Thursday.
Another factor to consider: The team’s top three starting pitchers are working out at the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter after being sidelined by COVID-19 with hopes of returning in the not-too-distant future. The return of any of Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith or Jose Urena could push Yamamoto out of the rotation.
Bullpen gives up the long ball
Yamamoto’s short outing put Miami behind 3-1 and put extra pressure on the bullpen against a Mets (10-14) team that is among MLB’s top offensive teams so far this season.
The collective results were lackluster.
Sterling Sharp worked 2 1/3 innings but gave up a two-run home run to Cano in the third.
Josh D. Smith gave up a home run to Alonso in the fifth.
Justin Shafer gave up back-to-back home runs to Cano and Alonso as part of a four-run sixth inning.
Josh A. Smith held his own with two scoreless innings, but the damage was done at that point. Mattingly closed the game with infielder Logan Forsythe throwing the ninth, who held the Mets to one run.
This and that
▪ The Marlins scored their three runs on a Matt Joyce RBI double in the first, a Jonathan Villar home run in the fifth, RBI singles from Lewin Diaz and Jon Berti in the ninth.
▪ Brian Anderson has safely reached base in all 16 games this season after drawing a first-inning walk on Monday. Anderson entered Monday ranked sixth among MLB third basemen in OPS (.865) and on-base percentage (.365).
▪ Outfielder Corey Dickerson is eligible to return to the Marlins’ active roster on Tuesday. Dickerson, who has been Miami’s primary left fielder this season, has been away from the team since Saturday while on the Bereavement List. Those on the Bereavement List must sit out a minimum of three days and can stay on the list for a maximum of seven days.
Also, to stay in accordance with MLB’s health and safety protocols, Dickerson has to be tested for COVID-19 before rejoining the club.
With Dickerson set to return to the active roster, the Marlins optioned Diaz to free up a roster spot.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 11:05 PM.
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