Recurring blister issue hampers Cabrera vs. Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- The plan for Edward Cabrera on Tuesday night was simple: Build upon his stellar start last week in St. Louis, stretch out beyond the 74 pitches he threw against the Cardinals and focus on filling up the strike zone.

None of those came to fruition for Cabrera in the Marlins' 4-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. Cabrera’s outing came to an end after a second inning in which he allowed three runs and while dealing with the recurrence of a blister on his pitching hand.

“[The blister] just kind of blew up a little bit after the first inning and into the second inning,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “We looked at it and we had to take him out.”

By that point, Cabrera had already thrown 53 pitches (30 strikes). He issued two walks and didn’t record a strikeout. The Rays swung and missed only once, and of the 25 changeups or sliders Cabrera he threw on the evening, 16 were balls.

Cabrera admitted that the blister affected him “a little bit,” but he added that he wanted to stay in the game and said that he doesn’t expect to miss any time.

“A blister is not going to be something that takes me away from my next start, from my point of view,” Cabrera said via team interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “We’re going to be ready for the next one.”

Cabrera has yet to miss a start because of a blister this season, but he has dealt with them in two previous starts -- May 17 vs. the Nationals, and June 7 vs. the Royals.

Schumaker said the issue is less concerning than frustrating.

“I think there's a lot of frustration for [Cabrera], coming out after 40, 50 pitches in two innings and another blister issue,” he said. "We’ve got to figure it out. Our training staff is doing a great job as far as trying to do everything they can, trying different things. But nothing's really working for [Cabrera] yet.”

The blister’s unfortunate timing coincided with a second inning in which Cabrera experienced some poor batted-ball luck.

With one out, Brandon Lowe lofted a fly ball into shallow center that Jesús Sánchez, making his third start in center this year, nearly snared with a headfirst dive, but instead came up just short while face planting into the Tropicana Field turf. Schumaker said Sánchez knocked the wind out of himself but was good enough to stay in the game.

After a 62.8 mph blooper off the bat of Issac Paredes dropped into shallow right, Josh Lowe smacked a grounder up the middle that connected with the front of the mound and hopped over the glove of shortstop Joey Wendle, scoring Brandon Lowe. The inning was capped by Yandy Díaz’s two-run double off of a hanging curveball.

“Yeah, there was some bad luck,” Schumaker said.

The Marlins also had the misfortune of running into Rays starter Tyler Glasnow on a night when he had everything working. He permitted only two hits -- singles by Sánchez and Jon Berti -- over seven innings. Glasnow struck out eight while permitting his only run when Wendle scored in the third inning on a wild pitch.

“The story was Glasnow,” Schumaker said. “He was tough. Tough on our hitters. Couldn't get anything going against him tonight.”

However, Miami had its own bright spot on the mound as right-hander George Soriano, the club’s No. 24 prospect, continued his run of successful work, registering three strikeouts and allowing just one run over 3 1/3 frames once Cabrera departed.

That one run -- a solo homer by Brandon Lowe in the sixth -- was the first dinger Soriano has given up in 26 innings this year and was his first earned run over his previous 10 frames, including his first three innings on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old has made a strong impression since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on July 4, with only five runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks over 12 1/3 innings. He has struck out 15 during that span.

Soriano's mid-90s fastball racked up four whiffs on nine swings Tuesday, but he really leaned on his slider, which accounted for 23 of his 49 pitches. He enjoyed how that pitch was moving against the Rays.

“It just goes straight forward and then, whoop -- it just goes to the side,” Soriano via Dorante Jr. “Then nothing. That’s it.”

Soriano pitched at least three innings for the third straight appearance. If Cabrera’s blister holds him out longer than he expects, Schumaker seems to know that he has a good option available if the situation calls for a replacement starter.

“We’ll see what this blister looks like and talk about what Soriano’s next role is and what that looks like,” the manager said. “Every time we put him in there, he’s been really, really good against tough lineups.”