Takeaways as Johnny Cueto’s bad second inning dooms Miami Marlins against Phillies
Prior to Saturday’s game, Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker stressed the importance of getting length from veteran right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto. The Marlins’ rotation had taken a blow earlier in the week with Sandy Alcantara’s placement on the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain and the rest of the starters sans Cueto are either approaching or have far exceeded their career highs in innings pitched. With Schumaker toeing the line between pushing his pitchers to a new limit and being cautious with regard to their future, Cueto is one of the few players with whom he doesn’t have to worry about allowing to go deep into games.
That is, when Cueto is pitching efficiently.
That was not the case Saturday.
Cueto lasted just 3 2/3 innings in the Marlins’ 8-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, with a 50-pitch, five-run second inning putting the Marlins in a hole from which they could never recover.
The Marlins fall to 73-69 on the season. The Phillies improve to 78-63.
After a strong first inning, working around a leadoff walk to Kyle Schwarber with a double play and a strikeout, Cueto’s production fell apart.
He allowed the Phillies to take a 5-0 lead with a rally that began with two outs in the second inning. J.T. Realmuto and Brandon Marsh started it with back-to-back singles before Nick Castellanos drove them both in with a double. He then walked Jake Cave before giving up a three-run home run to Schwarber. He then walked Trea Turner before ending the inning by getting Bryce Harper to fly out.
Cueto’s 50-pitch inning was the longest by any pitcher in MLB this season. Cueto responded with a perfect third inning and struck out two in the fourth with a single to Castellanos sandwiched between before being pulled with 92 pitches.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
A rally attempt falls short
After falling behind 5-0 early after Cueto’s struggles and an inability to make quality contact against Aaron Nola through four innings, the Marlins’ offense came to life in the fifth.
The problem: It wasn’t enough to completely erase their deficit.
Miami posted five consecutive one-out hits in the fifth — a Garrett Hampson home run, back-to-back doubles from Xavier Edwards and Jacob Stallings, a Luis Arraez single and a Josh Bell double — to score three runs and chase Nola from the game. Jake Burger, who had on of the Marlins’ two hits against Nola before the fifth inning, then added a sacrifice fly against Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman to get Miami within a run, 5-4, of Philadelphia.
The offense fell quiet against Philadelphia’s bullpen after that, and the Phillies padded their lead with a three-run bottom of the fifth.
Enmanuel De Jesus mops up in debut
With Cueto not getting through four innings and the Marlins having a bullpen game planned for Sunday’s series finale, Schumaker went to left-handed pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus, making his MLB debut, to provide length out of the bullpen.
De Jesus had his own struggle of an inning in the fifth but by pitching the final 4 1/3 innings, he ensured the Marlins will have the rest of its bullpen intact for the series finale.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan gave up three runs — all of which came in the fifth inning — on two hits, two walk and one hit-by-pitch while striking out three.
Marsh delivered the big blow in the fifth, with a two-out, bases-loaded double to right on a hanging slider to score three runs. The Phillies loaded the bases on a Turner walk, Harper single and Bryson Stott hit by pitch.
Where things stand in the playoff race
With the Marlins’ loss coupled an Arizona Diamondbacks’ win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, Miami is now one-and-a-half games behind the Diamondbacks for the National League’s third and final wild card spot with 20 games left in the regular season.
Of Miami’s final 20 games, 11 are against teams that are currently holding playoff spots: One more against the Phillies on Sunday, seven against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (four on the road, four at home) and three against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves at home.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 9:29 PM.
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