After yet another rough outing, Marlins’ Trevor Rogers gets introspective about his struggles
.JPG "Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, July 25, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)")
The game had already been over for close to 20 minutes, and Trevor Rogers merely sat at his locker, staring inward.
At this point, some introspection might be needed.
The Miami Marlins’ left-handed pitcher once again had a rough outing, this time giving up six runs on eight hits and two walks while only completing 3 2/3 innings in an 11-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday at Great American Ball Park to start a four-game series.
He’s 19 starts into his season, and the results still aren’t there.
Four times he has failed to complete four innings. His ERA is up to 5.85. Opponents are hitting .283 against him. His walks and hits per inning pitched is 1.60.
He has high expectations for himself, especially finishing as the runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year just a year ago, and he knows he’s not delivering.
And as much as he has tried to avoid it, doubt has crept into Rogers’ mind from time to time this season.
“I’ve proven to everybody that I belong here, but then again, in the back of your head, [you’re thinking,] ‘Maybe you weren’t as good,’” Rogers said, his eyes swelling and his voice low as he tries to explain his struggles. “You have to deal with that constantly. I’m constantly telling myself, ‘OK, you’re getting your butt handed to you, but you are good enough.’ That is frustrating considering what happened last year, but that was last year and this year is this year. I’m not doing that at all right now. I look at it as I know I can do it. I’ve just gotta get back to that point.”
Rogers has done just about everything to get out of his funk. He has looked at video from the 2021 season when he had success, pinpointing what his mechanics looked like when he was succeeding. He straightened out his fastball and began locating it at the top of the zone. He has talked with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., trying to find something — anything — that can lead to any semblance of consistency.
But success continues to elude him.
Rogers has now allowed 12 home runs in 87 2/3 innings this season after allowing just six over 133 innings in 2021. He has walked 41 of 400 batters he has faced for a 10.25-percent rate after having an 8.4-percent walk rate a year ago — a 22-percent increase.
And the other challenge: Rogers is having to make his adjustments while still being expected to produce results every five games with the big-league club. With Max Meyer (right elbow sprain), Jesus Luzardo (left forearm strain) and Edward Cabrera (right elbow tendonitis) on the injured list, Miami’s starting pitching options on the 40-man roster are limited. As it is, they still need someone to fill Meyer’s spot in the rotation that’s due up Thursday.
“The toughest part is just trying to stay mentally tough,” Rogers said. “It’s something I try to pride myself on. It’s been really tough sometimes. I really just try to take it in stride, look at what I did poorly and look at what I did well and take that into my next start, analyze it and get ready for my next start as best I can because thinking about this for two or three more days isn’t gonna help anybody. It’s not going to help myself. It’s not going to help the team. That’s all I can do really is just break down my start — What can I improve on? What did I do well? — and move on.”
In simplest terms, Rogers’ problems this season have generally fallen into one of two categories: Either he labored through the first inning and his pitch count got to the point where he couldn’t go deep into a game or he got roughed up in one particular inning to turn his start sideways.
“Most of the games have been a lot more competitive,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
On Monday, the trouble began from the first pitch, when Jonathan India ambushed a fastball on the outside corner for a double.
Rogers managed to worked around traffic over his first two innings, stranding three runners and holding Cincinnati without a hit in six at-bats with runners in scoring position as Miami (45-51) manufactured an early 1-0 lead.
But his pitch count quickly elevated. He was at 38 pitches by the time he recorded six outs.
And then the Reds (37-58) got to him in the third inning, scoring three runs on four hits. All three runs coming on a pair two-out hits — a Kyle Farmer RBI single on an 0-2 count and a Donovan Solano two-RBI double on a 1-1 count.
Brandon Drury then ended Rogers’ night with two outs in the fourth by sending a middle-middle changeup a projected 359 feet to left field for a three-run home run to put the Marlins down 6-2. The bullpen gave up five more runs after Rogers departed.
“It’s hard,” Mattingly said of Rogers’ struggles. “You want to have success. You want to help the club and you feel like you’re letting the club down. It’s tough on you. We have to try to stay upbeat with him, but this is the big leagues and you’ve got to get the results at some point. That’s the boat we’re in.”
So it’s back to the drawing board again for Rogers.
“I think there’s a line in the sand somewhere,” Rogers said. “Gotta turn the corner and gotta execute.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 9:58 PM.
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