Marlins' rotation dealt another blow, but reinforcements getting nearer

MIAMI -- It was around 5:30 p.m. ET -- or 100 minutes before pitch -- on Friday night when Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera called a trainer to say he was on the way to the hospital with migraine-like symptoms.

Hours later, following the club’s 16-2 loss to the Phillies at loanDepot park, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Cabrera was out of the hospital and that everything had checked out.

The expectation is Cabrera will come to the park on Saturday and go through his throwing program. If all looks good, he could start Sunday’s series finale. Righty Max Meyer is currently scheduled to toe the rubber.

“I don't know until he's here,” Schumaker said of Cabrera. “We had a trainer that was with him the whole time, once we found out that he was there [at the hospital]. And after hearing all the tests and everything checked out, we feel better that he's obviously out of the hospital. We never want to hear anybody's in the hospital. So tomorrow we'll see how he is. And if he's OK, then maybe Sunday he can go.”

The 26-year-old Cabrera was coming off a strong August in which he posted a 3.58 ERA in six starts, pitching into the sixth inning in four of them and showing more consistency than he has in recent memory. In his place on Friday, Schumaker was forced to go with a bullpen game on the fourth day of a stretch of 13 straight games.

Left-hander Austin Kitchen was tasked with opening against the National League’s fourth highest scoring lineup in just his fourth MLB outing. Kitchen surrendered seven runs (six earned) over two innings. Five other pitchers would follow, including position player David Hensley. Together, they allowed 16 runs (the Marlins’ second most this season) and 22 hits (a season high). Due to the bullpen usage, Miami will need to call up fresh arms with right-hander Darren McCaughan getting Saturday’s start.

“Honestly, it was whoever could throw tonight,” Schumaker said. “That's who was available, the most pitches available was going to pitch tonight, no matter what. Kitchen had the start because he had the most pitches. He had a lot of balls in the ground. He threw strikes, a lot of balls in the ground, and did his job. [The balls] just got through.

“[Anthony] Veneziano did great [with two scoreless innings afterwards]. I thought he did outstanding, honestly. He looked really good. 95, 96 [mph] at the top with good secondary. I thought he was fantastic. Everyone else had a little bit of trouble getting outs, honestly. So it was a tough day after that.”

But it wasn’t all bad news on the pitching front.

Left-handers Ryan Weathers and Braxton Garrett began rehab assignments with Single-A Jupiter this week, tossing three scoreless innings apiece. Weathers will throw four innings or 60 pitches on Sunday for Triple-A Jacksonville. All reports have been promising.

"It's trending like potentially -- I don't want to put anything in pen -- but that [Garrett] and Weathers, you could see them before the end of the season," Schumaker said pregame.

Since the beginning of the season, the Marlins have had to go with a makeshift rotation, a large reason why the 2024 campaign has played out the way it has.

Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez never threw a pitch. Jesús Luzardo, who is done for the season due to a lumbar stress reaction, made just 12 starts. Weathers and Garrett have combined for 20 starts. Cabrera has missed time twice with a right shoulder impingement. Miami dealt Trevor Rogers to Baltimore for No. 3 prospect Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers, both of whom were in Friday’s lineup at third base and left field, respectively.

Weathers, 24, was one of the early-season surprises, compiling a 3.16 ERA through his first 11 starts. Neither he nor the club anticipated he would miss this much time, landing on the 60-day injured list for a fluke injury. Weathers, who last pitched for the Marlins on June 7, has been sidelined due to a left index finger strain sustained during his May 20 start against the Brewers when he tried to barehand catcher Nick Fortes’ throw while covering home on Christian Yelich’s steal.

Garrett, meanwhile, has dealt with injuries from the get-go. He showed up to Spring Training with general shoulder soreness and began the season on the IL with a left shoulder impingement.

The 27-year-old then experienced “dead arm” during an in-between-start bullpen while on rehab assignment in mid-April, which delayed his debut until May 8. He was later scratched ahead of his scheduled start on June 23 after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session. He has been out with a left forearm flexor strain ever since.