Miami Marlins fall apart in fifth inning to drop series opener to Atlanta Braves
.JPG "Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers works against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)")
Trevor Rogers cruised through four innings on Friday. His fastball velocity was up. His changeup and the few sliders he threw were hitting their spots. He held an Atlanta Braves lineup to one hit in that span, a Freddie Freeman double after a 10-pitch battle in the first
“That may have been some of the best stuff he’s had,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of his rookie starter.
But Rogers’ night unraveled in the fifth. A one-out double to right field, a four-pitch walk, a first-pitch hit-by-pitch and a pinch-hit RBI single ended his night on a sour note after dominating through the first 13 outs of the game.
By the time that fifth inning ended, all three runners he left on base scored, and the Atlanta Braves built up a lead the Miami Marlins couldn’t overcome in their 6-2 loss at Truist Park.
“I was trying to do it all by myself,” Rogers said. “Definitely a learning experience, something I can grow from.”
The loss drops the Marlins to 59-82, ensuring they will have a losing season for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. The Braves are 75-65.
After Rogers left the game, Zach Thompson struck out Ozzie Albies for the second out before Jorge Soler hit a groundball up the middle that, coupled with outfielder Bryan De La Cruz failing to properly field the ball, cleared the bases. Freddie Freeman, who had the Braves’ only hit through the first four innings, then drove in Soler on an infield single coupled with a throwing error from Isan Diaz, who tried to make an off-balanced throw to first base.
“Just kind of came apart there,” Mattingly said.
Rogers was charged with four earned runs allowed over 4 1/3 innings, bumping his ERA up to 2.73 over 118 2/3 innings. It was the first time in 23 starts this season that Rogers gave up more than three runs. It was also just the fifth time this year that Rogers didn’t pitch at least five innings.
The Braves tacked on in the eighth with an Orlando Arcia single against Steven Okert that scored Austin Riley.
Jesus Sanchez hit a two-run home run in the first — his eighth of the season and fourth in 11 games — to give the Marlins an early 2-0 lead. Miami stranded eight runners on base after that.
This and that
▪ Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole his 20th base of the season on Friday, the most among MLB rookies and tied for the 11th-most in baseball.
▪ Taylor Williams recorded a perfect seventh inning on a strikeout and two groundouts against the top of the Braves’ lineup (Albies, Soler and Freeman) in his second appearance since the Marlins claimed him off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 10:46 PM.
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