How Gio Gonzalez looked in a simulated game. Plus Marlins injury updates, roster moves
Gio Gonzalez painted the edge of the strike zone against Connor Scott for a called Strike 3 on the back fields of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex.
Scott, one of the Miami Marlins’ top outfielder prospects, shook his head at the call. Gonzalez, the Hialeah native and major-league veteran on a minor-league deal with his hometown team, gave Scott another chance.
“I’ll give you one more,” Gonzalez shouted from the mound. “I have a few pitches left.”
Scott whiffed at a the next offering.
That was the general scene on Monday morning as Gonzalez threw two innings of live batting practice. Gonzalez, a 35-year-old left-handed pitcher, threw 32 pitches to seven batters. His fastball sat around 91 mph — a slight uptick from the past few years. One has to go back to 2016 to find the last time Gonzalez averaged at least 91 mph with his fastball over the course of a season.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly hopes to get Gonzalez into live spring training games at some point, but the Marlins are crowded with pitchers who need innings and only have 11 games left on the Grapefruit League schedule after Monday’s game against the Houston Astros at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
“This is his second live that he’s thrown,” Mattingly said. “I’m sure [Marlins pitching coach] Mel [Stottlemyre Jr.] is going to be working on innings for him. It’s been tough. The innings actually are getting hard. There’s a lot of guys we’re trying to look at. Starters are getting built up, the Pablos and Sandys are getting in the five and six [innings] range. Innings are going away, but I’m sure Mel has some plans for Gio and how we’re going to try to progress him.”
The hitter-by-hitter breakdown from Gonzalez is below:
First inning
▪ Seven-pitch walk to Eddy Alvarez
▪ Five-pitch swinging strikeout to Scott
▪ Four-pitch strikeout looking to Demetrius Sims
Second inning
▪ Four-pitch strikeout looking to Victor Victor Mesa
▪ Five-pitch strikeout looking to Brian Miller
▪ Three-pitch strikeout looking to Scott (plus the extra pitch that Scott whiffed on)
▪ Three pitch strikeout looking to Sims
Injury updates
Right-handed pitcher Jorge Guzman, the Marlins’ No. 22 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline who is dealing with right elbow inflammation, is progressing. The Marlins plan to have him begin a throwing program later this week.
Outfielder Jesus Sanchez, Miami’s eighth-ranked prospect by Baseball America, is dealing with a right groin strain and will begin rehab this week.
Roster moves
The Marlins optioned left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, their ninth-ranked prospect by Baseball America, to Triple A Jacksonville.
Additionally, catcher Will Banfield, infielders Luis Marte and Nasim Nunez, and pitchers Alexander Guillen and Luis Madero have been reassigned.
This and that
▪ Relief pitcher Dylan Floro, expected to throw in high leverage situations for the Marlins, needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the sixth inning on Monday as he made his spring training debut. Floro had been dealing with unspecified “soreness” during spring training that delayed his progression.
▪ Right-handed pitcher Jordan Holloway, after going through what Mattingly called a “slow build” over the first three weeks of spring training, is scheduled to throw an inning on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
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