The latest on Jorge Soler. And Schumaker’s message as Marlins continue playoff push
One of the Miami Marlins’ most impactful hitters could be back in the lineup in the not-so-distant future as the team continues to make its push for a spot in the playoffs.
Outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, who has been on the injured list since Sept. 6 with a right oblique strain, has been hitting off a machine since Wednesday and said he thinks he is “very close” to returning to the active roster.
“I feel great, thank goodness” Soler said Friday. “I feel 100 percent. We’ll see when it’s going to be that time to get back.”
Soler’s return would be welcomed.
Entering Saturday, he leads the Marlins in home runs (35), runs scored (71) and walks (58), second in RBI (71) and tied for third in doubles (22). His 35 home runs are tied for seventh in MLB, while his .513 slugging mark is 11th and his .842 on-base-plus-slugging percentage is 22nd.
He has the chance to be the first Marlins player since Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton in 2017 and 14th player overall in franchise history to finish the season a slugging percentage of at least .500.
Of his 35 home runs, 19 have given the Marlins a lead and two others have tied the game.
“We miss him. There’s no doubt,” said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, adding he hopes Soler could return to the lineup over the weekend. “Big guy in the lineup. Obviously the power, changing the score with one swing. We miss that, especially down the stretch. You want your best players to give us the best chance to win and see what we’ve got.”
Schumaker’s message
As the Marlins continue pushing for a playoff berth — they enter Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves a half-game behind the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s third and final wild card spot with 14 games left — Schumaker is able to draw on his own days as a player to give his team advice.
Schumaker made the playoffs in four of his 11 MLB seasons and won a World Series in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
His overall message to the club as they prepare for what could be a crazy final two weeks?
“15 [games] left, 14 left, 12 left, 11, 13, whatever it is, you go,” Schumaker said. “There’s no stopping. You give everything you have. I think that’s kind of the message I’ve been giving and our staff is giving every single day. Give everything you have today, your 100 percent, whatever that is. I think they’ve been preparing for this moment from Day 1. It does feel a little bit different energy and there’s a little more pressure, there’s no doubt about it. When you see the standings and you’re watching — and players are watching every game in the clubhouse and watching scores — that’s exciting when you’re involved in it. [But] it’s really focusing on today’s game, the details of today’s game. When you’re worrying about [what other teams are doing], that’s when you get yourself in trouble because it doesn’t matter if we don’t win, right? You have to win today and the next day and the next day in order to give yourself a chance.”
Luis Arraez’s power surge
Luis Arraez on Friday became the fourth Marlins player this season to have a multi-home run game, joining Soler (four), Jake Burger (one) and Josh Bell (one). It was Arraez’s first career mult-home run game, hitting leadoff home runs against Bryce Elder in the first inning and Pierce Johnson in the seventh inning.
Arraez also became just the ninth player in Marlins history to have a multi-home run game while batting from the leadoff spot. Soler also accomplished the feat this season on Aug. 18. The other seven: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jon Berti, Derek Dietrich, Justin Ruggiano, Chris Coghlan, Hanley Ramirez and Devon White.
Arraez has multiple hits in six of his past 14 games and enters Saturday hitting .349 on the season.
Since Aug. 31, the Marlins have hit 22 home runs, tied for the eighth-most in MLB. Arraez and Burger are tied for the team lead with four in that span, while Chisholm, Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez each have three.
This and that
▪ With their 9-6, come-from-behind win over the Braves on Friday, the Marlins are guaranteed a winning record at home this season. They are 41-32 in games played at loanDepot park entering Saturday with eight home games remaining.
▪ Half of the Marlins’ wins this season — 38 of 76 — have been come-from-behind victories.
▪ Since returning from the injured list on Aug. 2, left-handed pitcher Andrew Nardi has posted scoreless outings in 13 of his 15 relief appearances, while also stranding all five runners he has inherited in that span. Opponents are hitting just .180 against Nardi in this six-week stretch, with 17 strikeouts against seven walks and nine hits over 14 1/3 innings.
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