Marlins’ Trevor Rogers looks ready to return after latest rehab start. Where things stand
Trevor Rogers’ short rehab stint should be over.
The Miami Marlins’ left-handed pitcher, the club’s lone All-Star representative this season and a National League Rookie of the Year contender, threw five shutout innings with the Class A Jupiter Hammerheads on Sunday, striking out six while allowing just two hits and two walks.
Rogers threw 71 pitches, 47 of which went for strikes. The Marlins generally want their starting pitchers throwing at least five innings and comfortably throwing around 75 pitches before rejoining the roster.
Of his 71 pitches, 41 were four-seam fastballs (with velocity ranging from 89.6-95 mph), 18 sliders (ranging from 77-82.6 mph) and 13 changeups (ranging from 81-85.3 mph).
Four strikeouts ended with fastballs and one each with the slider and changeup.
Rogers threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab start on Tuesday.
Rogers has not pitched in a game with the Marlins since July 31 and was placed on the family medical emergency list on Aug. 3, moved to the bereavement list on Aug. 10 and then was placed on the restricted list on Aug. 17 when his bereavement list eligibility expired. Both of his parents tested positive for COVID-19 but have since recovered. Both of his grandfathers also died within a week of each other in that timeframe as well.
Should Rogers return to the Marlins’ rotation on the next turn, he would be in line to start on regular rest Friday when they start a six-game homestand with a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bender’s redemption
Anthony Bender’s first appearance against the Reds in Cincinnati last week was one to forget. The rookie reliever gave up a career-worst four runs on three hits and a pair of walks in an eventual loss.
Bender got his chance for redemption on Sunday, and he delivered.
The hard-throwing righty tossed two shutout and hitless innings against the Reds, working around an inherited runner in the seventh and an eighth inning walk with a pair of double plays. Bender threw 24 pitches — 13 sinkers and 11 sliders — to record his six outs on Sunday to help the Marlins to a 2-1 win.
“Last time against them, I kind of was a little out of whack,” Bender said, “so I had to go out there and compete with my pitches today and get some ground balls, especially after a walk. “I felt really good.”
Bender has now thrown three consecutive scoreless outings since the clunker in Cincinnati, giving up just one hit over 3 2/3 innings.
He also wanted to make sure he didn’t waste what was arguably Jesus Luzardo’s best start of the season — six shutout innings with a career-high-tying eight strikeouts.
This and that
▪ Jorge Alfaro’s single in the fourth extended his hitting streak to seven games. Alfaro is hitting .393 (11 for 28) with two doubles, one home run, nine RBI, three runs scored and just four strikeouts in this stretch.
▪ The Marlins are now 14-23 in one-run games this season and 34-32 at loanDepot park.
▪ Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s fielding error in the second inning was his 20th of the season, which puts him in a tie with Fernando Tatis Jr., Bo Bichette, Javier Baez and Luis Urias for the most in MLB this season.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 5:08 PM.
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