Marlins’ bullpen in shambles. Mattingly said they will ‘trust the guys that we’ve got here’
The effects of the Miami Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak at the start of the season coupled with the usual wear and tear that comes with the season is starting to have an impact on the Marlins’ bullpen.
During the past three games, losses to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday and the New York Mets on Monday and Tuesday, Miami’s makeshift relief pitching group have given up 17 runs in 16 2/3 innings, which equates to a 9.18 ERA. Seven of those 17 runs scored on the five home runs the group has surrendered against the Mets so far in this four-game series.
“We’re in a spot that we’re going to trust the guys that we’ve got here,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “This is where we’re at. ... Right now, the reality is we’re right where we’re at.
“The guys in our bullpen are the guys in our bullpen.”
For better or, as has been the case recently, for worse.
The team is already down eight of the original 12 relievers from its Opening Day roster as they return from their quarantine after testing positive for the novel coronavirus while in Philadelphia. This includes late-inning hurler Yimi Garcia; four prospects in Nick Neidert, Robert Dugger, Jordan Holloway and Alex Vesia; and three Miami was hoping to see bounceback or breakout years from in Adam Conley, Ryne Stanek and Jeff Brigham.
Three of the replacements in Richard Bleier (left triceps strain), Mike Morin (right elbow UCL injury) and Brian Moran (right knee patellar tendinitis) have since been put on the injured list. A fourth, switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, could join them after suffering a right oblique strain on Tuesday. Venditte underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and the team is waiting for results to come back. A fifth, Justin Shafer, was optioned to the team’s alternate in Jupiter after poor performance (eight earned runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings).
The Marlins’ bullpen, as it is currently constructed, consists of their Opening Day setup man and closer (Brad Boxberger and Brandon Kintzler), two mid-inning relievers from their initial roster (Stephen Tarpley and Sterling Sharp), two from their alternate training site (Josh A. Smith and Nick Vincent), one obtained via trade (James Hoyt), one claimed via waivers (Josh D. Smith) and two signed from independent ball who had never pitched at the MLB level (Brandon Leibrandt, son of World Series winner Charlie Leibrandt; and Brett Eibner, a former outfielder who started pitching in 2018).
While there have been a couple bright spots among the newcomers, namely Josh A. Smith, Hoyt and Vincent, the overall results have been lackluster.
The Marlins’ relief pitching heading into Wednesday’s game against the Mets has been among the worst in baseball. In summary, Miami’s bullpen:
▪ Is tied with the San Francisco Giants for the worst strikeout-to-walk ratio in the league (1.62)
▪ Is giving up the second most home runs per inning (.22, or a little more than one every five innings) and has given up the fifth-most home runs overall (17) despite pitching just 76 1/3 innings.
▪ Has the third-lowest strikeout-per-nine-inning ratio, giving up nearly 1.5 walks and hits per inning and has a collective 4.95 ERA that ranks as the 10th worst in the league.
The struggles have amplified over the last three games. That’s in part due to the makeshift nature of the bullpen. It’s also in part due to the extended work they have had to put in with Miami’s starters not going deep into games.
Miami’s last three starting pitchers — Elieser Hernandez on Sunday, Jordan Yamamoto on Monday and Humberto Mejia on Tuesday — threw just 10 1/3 combined innings in three games, with Yamamoto’s 1 1/3-inning performance severely handcuffing Mattingly when it came to the bullpen. That left the bullpen responsible for the remaining 16 2/3 innings.
“We’re competitors. ... We come to work every day, blue collar,” Josh A. Smith said. “Whenever our name’s called, we try to get it done. Whoever doesn’t get it done, the other guys have to pick it up.”
The bullpen tried to do that, but fell flat. The revolving carousel of a group, pitching from behind in all three games, gave up 22 hits and walked another dozen batters and watched as deficits grew and a losing streak continued.
“We know we have to come in strong and hold it down if we want to win,” Kintzler said. “We know at this point every win feels like three. ... With these new guys, a lot of them have had great careers. Boxberger’s had huge years. Vincent’s had huge years. The other guys have plenty of talent and are trying to figure out who they are, but they’re still major league pitchers.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 1:55 PM.
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