Marlins’ struggles without Mike Dunn highlighted by Bryce Harper
The absence of Mike Dunn continues to haunt the Marlins.
For the second time in 10 days Tuesday, manager Don Mattingly turned to Chris Narveson when he needed a left-hander to face the Nationals’ Bryce Harper. And for the second time, Harper delivered a big hit at a key moment.
“Obviously, you like some power with him,” Mattingly said of the type of pitcher he would like to use against Harper. “Our other lefties are a little different than that.”
Dunn is on the 15-day disabled list with an arm injury.
Over his career, Harper has gone 3 for 18 against Dunn, making him the go-to lefty for the Marlins when Harper steps to the plate in a late-inning situation.
But with Dunn out of the picture, Mattingly’s only choices when the situation calls for a lefty are Narveson and Craig Breslow. Both times, it has been Narveson summoned to face Harper, and the results haven’t been good.
With the score tied in the seventh on April 10 in Washington, Harper doubled off Narveson in what turned into a three-run inning for the Nationals. On Tuesday, Narveson was called on to face Harper with the bases loaded. He gave up a grand slam.
“You don’t really replace Dunn unless you have that kind of guy out there,” Mattingly said. “So we really miss him.”
THE BLING’S THE THING
Dee Gordon didn’t go to sleep Tuesday night wearing the flashy new necklace pendant owner Jeffrey Loria gave to him earlier in the day for winning the 2015 batting title.
“I definitely took it off,” Gordon said.
But Gordon admitted he did admire it for a long time.
Gordon’s reaction when he saw the large pendant.
“First of all, I thought, ‘Where would I ever wear this?’ ” Gordon said. “But I looked at it, showed it to my dad and family.”
Gordon laughed at the sheer size of the jewelry.
“It weighs more than me,” he said, laughing.
PLAYOFF SUPPORT
With the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers both in playoff action Wednesday, two Marlins showed their support by hanging team jerseys outside their lockers.
For Tom Koehler, it was a Goran Dragic Heat jersey.
For Jose Fernandez, it was a Panthers jersey.
“I like their team,” Fernandez said of the Panthers. “I’ve got to show my support.”
COMING UP
▪ Thursday: Marlins RHP Tom Koehler (0-2, 6.30) vs. Washington Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (2-0, 3.15), 1:10 p.m., Marlins Park.
▪ Friday: Marlins RHP Jarred Cosart (0-0, 6.10) at San Francisco Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 3.72), 10:15 p.m., AT&T Park.
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Marlins’ struggles without Mike Dunn highlighted by Bryce Harper."