Trevor Rogers 'really happy' with first appearance since April 2023

[Noah Berger]

Nearly a full year removed from pitching in a game, Rogers took the mound in West Palm Beach on Tuesday and held a full-strength Houston Astros lineup scoreless.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Trevor Rogers came into Tuesday's game with two objectives: to fill up the zone and have his body feel good at the end. He checked both boxes in his two innings of work against the Houston Astros, saying afterward, "I was just really happy to get out there and compete again."

His fastball velo touched 95 mph on multiple occasions, including a called third strike in the first inning on Yordan Alvarez, about which Trevor said, "I'm really glad he didn't take it 420 [feet] off me. To get Alvarez like that was a huge confidence-booster for me."

Regarding his other two pitches, "I think my slider was really good. It was getting some good swings and misses. My split was really good. I made one bad pitch and left a split up and they hit it off the wall."

In addition to his three usual pitches, Trevor spoke about throwing a two-seam fastball (sinker), "being able to use that two-seam to get out of some counts was really beneficial today." Trevor started throwing the sinker a lot more last season prior to his injuries, using it 18.8% of the time compared to 0.3% the year prior. 

He got some help from his defense in the form of a diving catch by Nick Gordon to rob Kyle Tucker of extra bases in the second inning. Trevor said of the play, "Yeah, that was huge. The way he was able just to run that ball down it just seems like he had it the whole way. That was really impressive to see. It's gonna be fun watching that all year."

 

So what's next for Trevor? "It's pretty much just the same objectives plus one more inning."

 

Manager's Musings

Skip Schumaker on Trevor: "Trevor was good. First time out in a long time. He felt good coming out, which is great. His command was good. 95 [mph] four-seam, 92 mph sinkers, a good change, a good slider. I think overall, just a really good day."

On getting as many guys as possible as many innings as possible: "There's split squads and piggybacks and then there's guys that, you know, we're gonna have to make some moves. So you're getting to that time of year where there's gonna be limited innings and at-bats. But guys are making it tough, and that's what you want."

On Ryan Weathers' four scoreless innings: "He's really maturing, really progressing. Proud of the work that he put in the offseason and it's cool to see your work pay off for you. I know it's spring training and all that, but the offspeed is really working—the characteristics are different than they were last year. And he's one of the guys that can hold his velo and he's been 95-97 for four innings. It shows you what kind of condition he is in. He's been opening some eyes in camp, no doubt."

On Nick Gordon's performance so far: "Good to see for him. He had a tough year last year. So for him to be able to make plays like that after a broken leg and having stolen bases. The whole thing, the whole package is exciting. So again, another dynamic player that you can have on your roster that can come off the bench, start, and play multiple positions. Really good fit in the clubhouse."

 

Additional Notes

• Jonah Bride hit a HR in the top of the 8th inning to break the 0-0 tie.
• Javier Sanoja drove in another run in the top of the ninth with an RBI single.
• George Soriano and Bryan Hoeing each pitched a scoreless inning.
• The Marlins beat the Astros 2-0 in a crisp two hours and seven minutes. 
• Vladimir Gutierrez secured a save in his first appearance as a Marlin, with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
• Jesús Luzardo is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Nationals. He is expected to throw four innings.
• Max Meyer is expected to throw 2-3 innings in relief of Luzardo. 

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