Marlins focus on areas of progress after dropping series to D-backs

MIAMI -- At this point in the season, with about five weeks to go, the main goal for the Marlins is to generate a solid enough foundation that they can build on top of next year.

While Miami might not have come out of Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the D-backs at loanDepot park with a happier result, there were some encouraging signs. Let’s take a look at a few areas of progress.

Cabby control
It’s been a weird year for Edward Cabrera, who opened the season on the injured list with right shoulder impingement then made five starts before landing back on the injured list on May 8 with the same issue.

Once Cabrera returned on July 7, he struggled. In five July starts, Cabrera posted a 6.14 ERA and pitched five innings just twice. Things have been better in August, with Cabrera posting a 3.68 ERA over his four starts, including two scoreless starts to open the month.

Though he gave up two solo homers to the D-backs, Cabrera went six innings and allowed just three runs to earn his second quality start this month.

“I'll take a quality start any day of the week out of Cabrera,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “You can live with solo home runs, I'm totally okay with [that]. There was missed location at times, and that's what got a couple of the homers.”

As Cabrera enters the final month of the season, the key will be consistency -- something he’s sorely missed this year. It’s starting to return, but slowly. After seven scoreless innings vs. the Padres two starts ago, he allowed six runs in four innings to Philly on Wednesday. Once again, he’ll aim to build off what was a really good start, all things considered.

“His first-pitch strikes were great. Strike percentage was up,” Schumaker said. “For the first time, maybe in a while, I thought the changeup, fastball command was better. So I think overall, [it] was a really good start. Unfortunately, we weren't great with runners in scoring position tonight, and that kind of cost us the game. But, I mean, [Cabrera] was good enough to help us win a game.”

Top of the order to ya
While Cabrera seeks consistency, the Marlins' No. 1-3 bats have already found it. On Tuesday night, all three -- Xavier Edwards, Jake Burger and Jonah Bride -- reached base at least once. Edwards drove in Miami’s lone run with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Burger and Bride each doubled, and Bride also worked a leadoff walk in the sixth (he was stranded at third).

Edwards’ breakout since getting regular playing time has been a bit of a revelation. Burger has been demolishing the ball of late, and Bride has been following suit in a spot that’s not exactly easy to hit out of.

“[Bride is] getting his opportunity, and he's doing the most with it,” Schumaker said. “He's hitting third in the order, feels like he's getting an RBI every game, or an extra-base hit. He's getting on base a couple times every game.

“We threw him in the middle right away, like three-, four-hole -- that's protecting one of the hottest hitters in the game right now in Burger. That's not easy to do, and he's been doing a really good job.”

Noticing Norby
Making his second start with the Marlins after being called up on Monday for the first time since he was acquired at the Trade Deadline, Connor Norby went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

As is the case with many of Miami’s players, Norby is early in his career: Tuesday’s match marked his 11th Major League game, all this season. (Norby debuted on June 3.)

There’s a solid chance that, as Norby progresses, the Marlins play around with him at various spots in the lineup. Right now, Miami’s lineup is fairly top-heavy. But it’s starting to even out, especially with the additions of Norby and fellow Deadline acquisition Kyle Stowers, who has four hits in his past two games (since fellow former Oriole Norby arrived).