Garrett strikes right tone in spring debut

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Each time Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett takes the mound this spring, the stakes will feel high. He's not trying to think of it that way.

With six Major League-caliber starting pitchers vying to make the Opening Day roster, someone could be the odd man out. Though there has been talk of a six-man rotation, the organization won't go that route unless it is confident each guy can be competitive when it's his turn on the mound.

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"The goal is really just to get better," Garrett said. "I've come in this spring stronger, feeling really confident about my stuff. And obviously I want to make the team -- that's a goal -- but it's not something I think about every day and all day. I think if I start doing that, that's when things will kind of go sideways. Just show up every day, compete my butt off and just pitch the best I can."

Garrett did just that in Saturday night's 5-2 loss to the Mets at Clover Park in the Grapefruit League opener. Facing nearly the entire projected New York starting lineup, he pitched a perfect first inning before allowing two runs on three hits in the second. The Mets recorded five batted balls of 98 mph or more in the frame.

During the seven-pitch opening frame, National League batting champion Jeff McNeil flied out on Garrett's first offering. Tommy Pham followed with a 105.9 mph grounder that Miami's No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Xavier Edwards, picked at second and threw to first for the out. Garrett then coaxed an inning-ending soft liner off the bat of Francisco Lindor.

Things turned for Garrett in a 23-pitch second. Pete Alonso worked a full count, then blasted a 91.4 mph down-the-middle sinker over the left-field wall for a leadoff homer. Miscommunication between Edwards and non-roster invite Joe Rizzo allowed Eduardo Escobar's popup to drop on the right side of the infield. After a nice three-pitch strikeout of Mark Canha and a hard lineout by Daniel Vogelbach, Abraham Almonte knocked an RBI double on a 3-2 sinker.

Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. visited the mound after Almonte's hit, telling Garrett to lock in -- and he obliged, retiring Tomás Nido on a grounder to end his outing.

"Alonso's a pretty good player, so he's going to hit some mistakes, and that's kind of what happens," manager Skip Schumaker said. "I thought Brax threw all his pitches well. I thought there was some conviction behind the changeup, which you want to see. For the first Spring Training game, I thought he pitched really, really well."

Location generally comes with time over the course of Spring Training. Garrett wasn't sharp in that second inning, but he was pleased he challenged batters. Before the game, Stottlemyre admitted every outing is important for Garrett, but the club won't live and die by the result.

Garrett, who allowed key hits twice with the sinker, hopes to throw it in against righties later in at-bats this season. Being able to get his changeup over and paying attention to his fastball lanes will lead to success, per Stottlemyre.

"I think Brax is one of our guys that really needs to dive into the game-planning aspect of it and know it, and feel comfortable with it, embrace it, so that when he goes out into the game, he's going to know where his adjustments are," Stottlemyre said. "He's come a long way with the count management and now understands that. He's not a rookie where it's his first time and he's in survival mode. He's experienced all that.

"He's a little more physical. It seems that his stuff has gotten a little crisper, I think, with putting a good weight on. That'll be good so he can hold on to his stuff, and keep it consistent through his outings. A lot to like, and we haven't talked a lot about him. Like I did say last year, [he's] probably the most improved pitcher that we had."

From 2020-21, Garrett posted a 5.18 ERA in 10 MLB games (nine starts) while shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Jacksonville and the Majors. He turned the corner in '22, compiling a 3.58 ERA across 17 starts.

"It built confidence," Garrett said. "Previous to last year, I didn't have a ton of time, nor a ton of success. Last year was huge. Coming into spring, I definitely felt more confident and more ready."