With rotation spot open amid playoff push, Marlins ‘looking for someone to step up’
The Miami Marlins have an open spot in their starting pitching rotation, a void created by Johnny Cueto going on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a viral infection.
And, as of right now, the club doesn’t have a definitive answer as to how it is going to fill it. And with the Marlins trying not to slip in the wild card race, it’s an answer they need to find soon.
“We’re looking for someone to step up,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said after Miami’s 6-2 loss to the San Diego Padres to begin a three-game series at Petco Park that dropped their record to 64-62 and has them one-and-a-half games back of the San Francisco Giants for the National League’s third wild card spot. “We need that, somebody to keep us in the game and give us five, six strong innings and give it to a really good bullpen, to pass it on.”
Left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers got the first crack at auditioning for the job, making the start Monday against a Padres team that he was a member of his entire career before being traded to the Marlins on Aug. 1 for first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper and right-handed pitcher prospect Sean Reynolds.
Weathers gave up five earned runs Monday — four coming on a Ha-Seong Kim grand slam in the second inning after walking the bases loaded — and lasted just 3 1/3 innings.. He walked a career-high five batters.
“A lot of nerves,” Weathers said. “It’s still very fresh. It’s been 20 days since I’ve been traded. A lot of emotions. It was a weird outing.”
Weathers settled in following the grand slam, but the damage was already done. It was similar outing to his first Marlins appearance, when he gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings of relief on July 15 against the Texas Rangers. Four of the six runs he allowed came in his first inning before he got into a groove.
And, big picture, Weathers’ first two appearances are proving to be similar to another power-throwing lefty’s first season with the Marlins in Jesus Luzardo. Like Weathers, the Marlins acquired Luzardo in a deal at the trade deadline, with Luzardo coming to Miami from Oakland in exchange for Starling Marte in 2021. Luzardo struggled in his 12 Miami starts, pitching to a 6.44 ERA over 57 1/3 innings. Luzardo went on to have a career year in 2022. Miami is hoping the same for Weathers.
“He [Weathers] has got good stuff,” Schumaker said. He’s throwing 96, 97 [mph], decent changeup. The slider at times was great. Just not in the zone or on the attack. He’s usually on the attack. He’s not the guy that walks a ton of guys. For it to happen [Monday], it’s just unfortunate.”
But unlike when Luzardo was acquired, the Marlins are in a different circumstance right now. In 2021, Miami was already out of the playoff race at the trade deadline and was focusing on the future. This year, the Marlins are still in the thick of the playoff race. They can’t afford to give away wins for the sake of development when they have the postseason as their goal.
So does that mean Weathers will get another start when that spot in the rotation comes up again?
“We’ll talk about it later,” Schumaker said postgame. “We don’t have an exact plan just now. We’re going to watch and see how Weathers did and then make a decision moving forward.”
If it’s not Weathers for the next turn in the rotation, which is slated for Sunday, the Marlins have a few options.
▪ Skip the start: Miami has off days on Thursday and Monday, giving them the option to skip the fifth spot in the rotation for a turn if they so choose.
The Marlins have Luzardo pitching Tuesday against San Diego and Sandy Alcantara scheduled for the finale Wednesday. After a Thursday off day, Eury Perez and Braxton Garrett would be in line to start Friday and Saturday at home against the Washington Nationals. Luzardo would be in line to start on regular rest Sunday and the rest of the rotation would still get an extra day of rest for the ensuing turn of the rotation because of the Monday off day.
This would only be a temporary solution, but it would buy them time if they wanted to wait on making a decision.
▪ Recall Edward Cabrera: Miami sent Cabrera to the minor leagues on Aug. 1 after command issues resulted in shorter starts. Cabrera last pitched Thursday for Triple A Jacksonville and in three outings has given up just four runs over 17 2/3 innings (a 2.04 ERA) with 15 strikeouts against eight walks.
▪ Move Bryan Hoeing or George Soriano from the bullpen to the rotation: The Marlins have two pitchers in their bullpen who have handled long relief duties and have previously started in their careers in Soriano and Hoeing. Both theoretically could be options to make a spot start or two until Cueto returns.
The problem with that? Soriano and Hoeing have pitched better as relievers than as starters.
Hoeing, who held the Padres to one run over 4 2/3 innings in relief of Weathers on Monday, has a 1.95 ERA over 27 2/3 innings in 19 relief appearances this season compared to a 6.66 ERA over 24 1/3 innings in six starts.
Soriano has made just one MLB start, giving up three runs in three innings against the Rangers. In 15 relief appearances, varying from long relief to high-leverage situations, he has a 1.59 ERA over 34 innings in 15 appearances.
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