After more than three months, Weathers uneven in return in Marlins’ loss to Dodgers

Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers returned to the mound Wednesday for his first start in nearly three and a half months, and it couldn’t have come soon enough.

“He would text me all the time about how upset he was not being with the guys, pitching every fifth day,” manager Skip Schumaker said.

“Being away from the game made me realize how much I love it,” Weathers noted.

Reinstated from the 60-day injured list, where he landed because of a strained left index finger, Weathers didn’t have the performance he hoped for against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

He pitched 4 1/3 innings in the 8-4 loss at loanDepot park, allowing six runs (five earned) and eight hits, including three home runs.

“You know Ryan. He’s a competitor. He wasn’t just out there to check a box,” Schumaker said. He wanted to win the game.”

In the second inning, Will Smith blasted a 97-mph four-seam fastball from Weathers inside the left-field foul pole. In the fourth, Tommy Edman belted a sinker to right field for a two-run shot. Three batters later, Teoscar Hernández crushed another sinker from Weathers 430 feet to left center for a three-run dinger.

“Two of the home runs I gave up, I got beat on my fourth-best pitch,” Weathers said.

Of the start overall, he said, “It felt good. I was just happy to be back here with the guys. I wish I could have thrown the ball better, but it was good to get my feet wet again. I’m looking forward to the next outing.”

Reliever Xzavion Curry replaced Weathers after Freddie Freeman doubled with one out in the fifth and threw 2.2 clean innings with three strikeouts.

The Marlins chopped their 6-0 deficit in half in the seventh — Otto Lopez smacked a two-run single, and Nick Fortes brought home Lopez with the first of his two sacrifice flies Wednesday — but the rally ended with Xavier Edwards being thrown out at third after stealing second base.

Before the game, Schumaker said he wanted to limit Weathers to around 80 pitches — he threw 74 on Wednesday, 48 for strikes — in his first appearance since leaving his June 7 start against the Guardians in the third inning due to the finger injury, initially sustained three starts prior.

“It’s really good to see Ryan out there — long time coming,” Schumaker said afterward. “He’s worked his butt off to get back out here and finish the season in the big leagues after a weird, freakish type of injury. All his stuff was there, but the location just wasn’t there tonight.”

Prior to going on the IL, Weathers posted a 3-5 record with a 3.55 ERA across 13 starts. From May 3 to May 26, he delivered five straight quality starts—tied for the sixth-longest streak by a left-hander in Marlins history.

During that stretch, he recorded a stellar 1.91 ERA (7 ER/33.0 IP), struck out 27 and allowed only five walks. His 0.73 WHIP in May set a franchise record for the month among starters with at least 25 innings pitched.

“Honestly, I think we’d be talking about him making the All-Star team [if he didn’t get hurt],” Schumaker said. “He was so dominant against really good teams, getting righties and lefties out. He worked so hard in the offseason refining his mechanics and was becoming a complete pitcher. It’s too bad it happened when it happened. But it’s part of his story and he’s going to be better because of it.”

While Weathers is projected to be part of the Marlins’ five-man rotation to open the 2025 season, right-hander Eury Pérez said Wednesday he’s targeting a return from Tommy John surgery around the All-Star break.

On Tuesday, Pérez took a step in his recovery, tossing the ball four to five feet on flat ground for the first time since his April 8 procedure. He plans to throw lightly again Thursday.

“It felt really good,” Pérez said, via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr., of Tuesday’s session. “I’m very happy to be out there and toss that baseball, even if it was just a few throws.”

▪ Left-hander Braxton Garrett (forearm flexor strain) might start this weekend against the Braves, Schumaker said. It will depend on how Garrett feels in the coming days after pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in a rehab start with Triple A Jacksonville.

▪ Before the game, starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo was honored as the Marlins’ 2024 Roberto Clemente Award nominee.

▪ Right-hander Jeff Lindgren was designated for assignment.

This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 10:43 PM.