Heavy workload catches up to 'pen as another series slips by

June 30th, 2024

PHILADELPHIA -- By now, you know seven Marlins starting pitchers are on the injured list. Not only has it tested the organization’s pitching depth, but it also has tasked the bullpen with an added workload.

Miami saw its four-run lead erased as Philadelphia scored five unanswered runs in Sunday afternoon’s 7-6 loss at Citizens Bank Park. It marked the second time on this two-city trip that the Marlins had a chance to take the series in the finale only to blow a late advantage, going from potential victories in five of seven to just three.

“It's great to get a couple of wins [in Philadelphia],” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It's just tough to end on kind of a sour note, unfortunately. With a pretty good lead, we feel good about going to our bullpen and coming away with a win. That's why you play the game, though.”

Sunday concluded Miami’s stretch of 10 consecutive gamedays, which included injuries in back-to-back days to southpaws Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett.

During this span, here are the club’s pitching numbers:

• 4.93 innings per start
• 37 2/3 innings for the bullpen
• No starter win (every other MLB team has at least one since June 12)

The Marlins are not getting enough length out of their starters and the lineup often doesn’t score enough, so the margin for error is slim in close games. That was the case in Wednesday’s loss to the Royals, when a 1-0 lead turned into a 5-1 loss after right-hander Huascar Brazoban allowed five runs in the eighth with lefties Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk unavailable.

Despite being overworked, Miami’s bullpen entered the series finale with a 2.91 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Including Sunday’s results, those numbers have gone up to a still-very-respectable 3.11 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

“It might have caught up today, honestly,” Schumaker said. “Everybody felt good. You always have conversations and make sure that guys are feeling good before they go into the game. But walks and extra outs, they'll cost you against a really good team. We've got to provide more length out of the rotation, there's no doubt. We can't go four innings every guy, every day, especially with not too many off-days in a row -- or any off-days, I should say -- with 10 games in a row. The off-day's perfect timing. We need that off-day. [A] little reset, get the guys time off, and hopefully come back against Boston [on Tuesday].”

After the Marlins tagged MLB ERA leader Ranger Suárez for a season-high six runs in 4 2/3 innings to take a 6-2 lead, the Phillies chipped away while keeping Miami off the scoreboard.

Nick Castellanos produced an RBI double in the fifth against starter Yonny Chirinos, who would exit one batter later at 87 pitches. Chirinos had gone five frames in each of his first two starts.

“Like I said previously, it's about attacking the batters, making sure that you're putting the ball in play,” Chirinos said via interpreter Will Nadal. “Not every time I'm going to be able to go six, seven innings. That is definitely the goal. It's part of the game plan. Like I said, today I wasn't able to put the ball in play as much as I would have wanted to, and I think that's the key moving forward. But it's not something that's deterring me. It's something that's going to keep pushing me forward, and I think that I can provide that for the team.”

Philadelphia then capitalized on shortstop Tim Anderson’s fielding error on a potential inning-ending double play in the sixth. Following a Brandon Marsh strikeout, Castellanos delivered a two-out, two-run single off Puk to trim the deficit to one.

In the seventh, southpaw Andrew Nardi walked back-to-back batters to open the inning, saying postgame he had trouble gripping the ball. After a sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, Nardi got Bryson Stott to fly out to shallow right in a rematch of Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series (Stott blew the game open with a first-pitch grand slam in the sixth inning).

But Schumaker turned to Anthony Bender for the righty/righty matchup, and birthday boy Trea Turner’s third hit of the game proved to be the decisive two-run single.

“I never truly know what my last batter is,” said Nardi, who was the club’s fireman out of the bullpen in 2023. “Just for my sake, because I made the mess, I want to get out of my own mess. So I do wish I stayed in for Trea Turner.”