Smith lacks command, offspeed vs. former club

NEW YORK -- Whatever has clicked at home for Caleb Smith has yet to show up on the road. The left-hander's second away start wasn't much different than his first, and the end result was all too familiar.
Smith allowed a homer to Aaron Judge and surrendered five runs in 2 1/3 innings on Monday night in the Marlins' 12-1 loss to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
"We've been seeing one good, one bad, one good, one bad," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Smith's outings. "Obviously, a little better weather. Last time, we talked about the weather a little bit. Tonight, it actually wasn't that bad out there."
For Smith, it was another perplexing outing, because it followed up his seven strikeouts and three runs over five innings in a no-decision last Tuesday against the Mets in Miami. In small sample sizes, Smith has made two road starts, combining for a 13.50 ERA (eight runs in 5 1/3 frames). At Marlins Park, he has a 3.48 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.

"I just didn't have my offspeed today," Smith said. "I didn't have a secondary pitch. I'd get them to two strikes, and I couldn't put them away. They fouled off a lot of pitches. That's basically what it was. I'd get them to two strikes and didn't have an offspeed."
Of the 84 pitches Smith threw, he induced nine swinging strikes, with five on his four-seam fastball. He missed bats on three of his 20 sliders.
"They did a good job with him, but I don't think we had enough around the zone, on the edges to get them swinging," Mattingly said.

The conditions haven't been ideal in either Smith away start. On Monday, it was 53 degrees and damp at Yankee Stadium, but the weather was much improved over the 46 degrees and whipping winds at Philadelphia, on April 5. That day, he was tagged for three runs on six walks in three frames.
"The main thing that would have helped is having a secondary pitch," Smith said, dismissing weather as an issue.
In the first inning on Monday, Smith struggled with command, walking three and allowing two runs. Judge's solo shot was to right-center field in the second. In the third, Smith had some misfortune when center fielder Cameron Maybin couldn't pick up the ball in the twilight and Gary Sánchez was credited with a double. Aaron Hicks' two-run double and Miguel Andújar's one-out walk led to a short outing for Smith.

Reliever Tyler Cloyd was up in the first inning, and had Smith not retired Andujar in the first, a pitching change was likely.
Smith has familiarity with Yankee Stadium. The Marlins acquired the 26-year-old southpaw from the Yankees in a Minor League trade last November. In New York's' system last year, he threw 18 2/3 innings at the big league level.
"When I was with the Yankees, I was a fastball-changeup guy," Smith said. "Now, I'm a fastball-slider. I'm a little bit different, but them knowing me has nothing to do with it. Just lack of execution."
The way Luis Severino was pitching, the Marlins had little margin for error from their starter. Severino allowed one hit, a fourth-inning double to Miguel Rojas, and a walk, while striking out eight in six innings. Didi Gregorius had a two-homer game, while Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-3 with a walk, hit by pitch and two strikeouts.

Severino's night was over after 86 pitches. Smith needed 84 to get seven outs before exiting.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Marlins were able to break through and avoid being shut out by scoring in the eighth inning on Justin Bour's RBI fielder's choice groundout to first base. Bryan Holaday, who reached on an error by Andujar at third, scored on the play. Bour is starting to heat up. He had a single and a walk on Monday, and in his last six games he has driven in nine runs.

REALMUTO CLOSE
The Marlins likely will have one of the faces of their franchise back on the roster tonight. It's just a matter of the medical staff giving its clearance. Catcher J.T. Realmuto, on the disabled list since the season started due to a low back bruise, took batting practice on the field on Monday. Mattingly said if the trainers and doctors give say Realmuto is ready, he could be in tonight's lineup.
"He looked fine. We'll see what the doc says, if they say, "Here we go.' If that happens, we roll. If not, we wait," Mattingly said.

Realmuto is one of four regular position players on the DL, joining third baseman Martín Prado (left hamstring strain), shortstop JT Riddle (right shoulder tendinitis) and right fielder Garrett Cooper (right wrist). More >

HE SAID IT
"Honestly, I feel like we have to get better overall as a team. J.T. is not going to change the course of the season, just because of his presence, or Martin or Riddle, or whoever we're getting back. We're going to be a better team. But, as a team, we have to find a way to put better at-bats together and find a way to score runs. That's the bottom line." -- Rojas
UP NEXT
The Marlins close out their two-game Interleague set with the Yankees tonight at 6:35 p.m. ET. Jarlín García, who held the Mets hitless in six innings in his first Major League start, will take the mound for Miami. Masahiro Tanaka pitches for New York.