Marlins waste Oller’s strong start as overworked bullpen folds late in 6-2 loss to the Braves
In a season in which the Marlins have used a franchise-record 19 starting pitchers, it’s safe to say the organization has been desperate for some sort of consistency in the rotation. The Marlins signed 29-year-old right-hander Adam Oller to a minor-league contract on July 10 after he was released by the Cleveland Guardians a week before. After six games with Triple A Jacksonville, where he posted a 2.88 ERA, Miami selected his contract and inserted him into the starting rotation, where he has found a home.
Following a rough 2023 that saw Oller post a 10.07 ERA with the Oakland A’s, the right-hander strongly considered trying baseball elsewhere. “Frankly, this past offseason, the entire conversation with my agent and I was going to go play overseas or play here for another year. After a lengthy back-and-forth, we decided to give it another shot for many different reasons, mostly because I felt like I had the stuff to pitch in the Major Leagues,” said Oller following his outing on Saturday.
Since his team debut on August 19, Oller has given the Marlins at least five innings in each of his last six starts. He has also struck out 31 batters in 32 2/3 innings.
On Saturday, that trend continued. In 5 2/3 innings Oller gave up two runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out seven in the Marlins’ 6-2 loss. Oller’s one big mistake was a first-pitch fastball to former Marlin Jorge Soler, who cranked it over the left-field wall for his 21st home run of the season. It was the only extra-base hit Oller gave up.
“Obviously, there were some sticky situations there, but I felt like I made pitches when needed. All in all, I’m not upset with the outing at all. It’s a really good hitting team,” Oller said.
The 29-year-old relies heavily on his above-average breaking ball to attack hitters along with his mid-90s fastball. He throws the slurve 26% of the time and has a 37% K rate. On Saturday, more than half his strikeouts came via that pitch.
While Oller’s numbers have been somewhat pedestrian with the Marlins in 2024, he has provided the club valuable innings and much-needed consistency. “We talk about it all the time, that if he can throw strikes with the fastball, he should be really effective and he has been,” said manager Skip Schumaker postgame.
The Braves lineup is challenging to face any day, but they are currently extra motivated. Entering Saturday’s contest, they were only two games behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot. Before the game, Schumaker emphasized the importance of playing teams in tight playoff races this time of year.
“With where we’re at in the season, we’re lucky to face playoff-caliber teams right now. We get to play the Braves, we just played the Dodgers and we’re going to play the Twins pretty soon. All those teams are trying to get in, and I want our young guys to figure out why these guys are so good on the other side,” he said. “It can be very valuable.”
Following Oller’s departure from Saturday’s game, Miami only trailed 2-1. However, Miami’s depleted bullpen could not keep it close, as the Braves scored four times in the seventh against Lake Bachar on two home runs. The Marlins could not figure out All-Star pitcher Max Fried as he tossed six innings of one-run ball. “The entire league has trouble against Fried. He’s just really good,” Schumaker said.
With the loss, Miami fell to 57-98 on the season. The rubber match will be on Sunday and Darren McCaughan will start for Miami.
Minor League Awards:
Before Saturday’s game, the Marlins announced their 2024 Minor League Player Development Award winners. Thomas White (No. 1 Marlins prospect according to MLB Pipeline), Joe Mack (No. 9) and Javier Sanoja (No. 13) highlighted the group. White, who turns 20 next week, dominated both levels of A ball in 2022 to earn High A MVP and Minor League Pitcher of the Year. White pitched to a
Mack, 21, earned Double A MVP honors after slugging 24 home runs and 30 doubles across two levels. Sanoja, who was promoted to the major leagues on September 7, won the Triple A MVP and Player of the Year award after a terrific season in which he recorded an OPS of .763 across AA/AAA while being one of the league’s youngest players.