Rojas sparks Marlins' 16-hit attack against Rox

MIAMI -- What transpired on Saturday night is just how the Marlins’ brass drew things up in the offseason. In building a roster minus prototypical power threats, Miami must rely on grinding out at-bats, and doing all the little things.

The Marlins did a little bit of everything in a 7-3 win over the Rockies at Marlins Park. Miguel Rojas had two doubles, three hits and three RBIs. Martín Pradochipped in with three hits and an RBI, while Curtis Granderson added a sacrifice fly and a safety squeeze bunt RBI single as part of a 16-hit attack in Miami’s first win after dropping two straight to open the four-game set.

The group-effort victory gave the Marlins reason to celebrate, and even have some fun on the bases. Lewis Brinson displayed that with a little dance at second base after his second-inning double. That caught on and helped energize the dugout.

“We talked about it before the game, just have fun,” Brinson said. “Come out. Enjoy it. We play baseball for a living. We play a kids' game. We're supposed to have fun. We kind of got together as a team, and just had fun. In Spring Training, we were together and had fun.”

As for his dance move, which caught on with his teammates, Brinson added: “It's something we've been doing in the clubhouse, and throughout Spring Training. Just a little flavor.”

After finishing with six total hits and four runs in their first two games, the Marlins received contributions up and down the lineup. Brinson had a double (tracked by Statcast at 109.9 mph), a single and scored twice, and backup catcher Chad Wallach had a double, single, walk and scored a run.

“We know we're going to be OK, but we need a better approach at the plate,” Rojas said. “We can't keep complaining about how big the field is and stuff like that. We just have to get a better approach against the guys we're facing.”

Even starting pitcher, Pablo Lopez, who threw 5 1/3 innings, chipped in with a single in a two-run second.

The Marlins tagged Rockies lefty Tyler Anderson for five runs on nine hits.

In each of the first two games, the Marlins were held without a hit -- or a baserunner -- until the fourth inning. That changed on Saturday with Brian Anderson’s first-inning, two-out single to right.

Miami got on the board in the second inning with two runs. Brinson doubled on a scorched liner to left, Prado singled, and Granderson’s sacrifice fly opened the scoring. Rojas added a two-out, RBI double.

The Marlins grabbed the lead for good with a three-run fourth inning. Rojas delivered a two-run double, followed by Rosell Herrera’s RBI single.

“It's really a very small in the drop of a large sample, but you don't really want to let momentum going in the opposite direction,” manager Don Mattingly said of not starting off the season with yet another loss. “Just to get on the board and have a chance to split the series tomorrow.”

Pablo stays promising

Of all their young starters, Lopez may have the most upside. The 23-year-old showed why in his season debut.

Lopez, who made 10 starts as a rookie in 2018, struck out a career-high seven before running out of steam on his 88th pitch of the night. He was charged with three runs on five hits, with no walks and a hit batter.

After missing last September due to a right shoulder strain, Lopez has impressed with his recovery, and strength. He gained eight pounds of muscle in the offseason, and his fastball, according to Statcast, topped at 96 mph on Saturday.

“That's one of the things I wanted to work on in the offseason, to get a little leaner, and add some more muscle,” Lopez said. “I'm happy I achieved that a little. At the same time, trying to mix that with better mechanics, create better rhythm, better tempo and create consistency with the release point.”

Complementing his four-seamer was a wipeout changeup. Of the 23 changeups he threw, 10 were swinging strikes.

Key on the changeup was the fact Lopez created separation from his fastball. His fastball average, according to Statcast, was 93.7 mph on the night, while his changeup was 85.4 mph. In Spring Training, Lopez’s changeup early on was about 88-89 mph, which was easier for hitters to adjust to.

“In Spring Training, it wasn't that good,” Rojas said. “I was talking with him about it. I've seen a lot of changeups from guys who throw hard. Guys like [Stephen] Strasburg, [Max] Scherzer, [Jacob] deGrom. Their changeups have separation from their fastballs. Pablo was throwing his changeup around 88-89 earlier in spring. Then, he started making the adjustment to like 85, 84. Now, he's like disgusting.”

After facing Lopez in scrimmages in Spring Training, Rojas gives the 23-year-old’s upside a big compliment, saying his talent could be on par with the late Jose Fernandez.

“I see Jose Fernandez-like,” Rojas said.

He said it

“We're going to have to do that all year. We have to run the bases aggressively. Go from first to third, and take the extra base when we can. Just be smart about it. Just playing aggressively.” -- Brinson, on the Marlins’ style of play

Up next

Hard-throwing right-hander Sandy Alcantara will get the ball as the Marlins close out the four-game series with the Rockies at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday at Marlins Park. The 23-year-old will face Colorado for the first time. He was 2-3 with a 3.44 ERA in six starts as a rookie in 2018. Right-hander Jon Gray goes for the Rockies.