Strong Trevor, clutch hits lead Miami into the break victors

[Louis Addeo-Weiss]

Marlins escape Cincinnati with a win, thanks to Edwards' late-inning heroics.

The Marlins' 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday felt like a throwback across eras of club history. Jazz Chisholm Jr. started his first game at second base in more than two years, Xavier Edwards bore a resemblance to the premier slap-hitters of Marlins past, and Trevor Rogers looked like the guy who was an All-Star in 2021.

Though his 58-game score wasn't his best statistically pitched game of the season—allowing 2 hits and 2 runs over 5 ⅔ innings—an outing of this quality heading into the All-Star break after an otherwise disastrous first-half for him and the Marlins could prove the reset needed to Rogers finishing the season strong. 

Working around 3 walks, Rogers held a Reds team that had hit an MLB-best 28 home runs in July hitless through the first 5 innings. The 2021 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up would not allow a hit until two outs in the bottom of the sixth when a dead-center fastball to that year's winner, second baseman Jonathan India, turned into a double. One pitch later, Elly De La Cruz amended a baserunning error made in the 4th when the next pitch from Rogers found its way into the right field seats to tie the score 2-2.

"My pitchability today has probably been the best it's been all year," said Rogers. 

Eschewing the pitching need for speed, Rogers relied more on spotting the fastball, not throwing any pitch above 92.7 mph.

"He spotted his fastball up, his slider was good, his changeup was good...He did enough for us to keep us in the game," manager Skip Schumaker said.

 

Recent Call-Ups Deliver

Prior to De La Cruz's sixth-inning heroics, utility infielder Jonah Bride gave the Marlins their first two runs of the day with a single in the top of the fifth. Bride, recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on July 4, has collected hits in each of his last three games dating back to July 10.

Most encouraging, though, Xavier Edwards, Miami's everyday shortstop for the time being, continued to assert his case as a big league-caliber hitter, collecting a pair of hits, one of which included a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the eighth. Since being recalled from Triple-A on July 2, Edwards has hit .378. 

 

 

All-Star Finish

Closer and lone Miami All-Star Tanner Scott struck out a pair of Reds to lower his season ERA to 1.34. This was the fifth time this season that he has recorded four-plus outs in an appearance. Among the 68 relievers to throw at least 40 innings this season, none have a lower opponent's batting average than Scott's .134. 

 

Of Note

- OF Dane Myers suffered a fractured left ankle after Saturday's 10-6 loss. Schumaker noted he will "miss a lot of time." Myers told the media postgame that he took a swipe at the clubhouse door out of frustration after being ejected on a checked swing.

- With his scoreless inning pitched Sunday, A.J. Puk continues a string of 10 consecutive outings without allowing a run. In 12 outings dating back to June 17, Puk has surrendered just one earned run, lowering his season ERA from 6.91 to 4.73. 

 

Looking Ahead

As with the rest of the sport, the Marlins will enjoy some time off during the MLB All-Star festivities in Arlington. There are 66 regular season games remaining after the break.

Miami will resume play on Friday, July 19, when they host the New York Mets at loanDepot park. Schumaker declined to note the Marlins starter out of the break. First pitch is slated for for 7:10 EST. 

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

I attended the three-game series in Cincinnati and talked to many Reds fans. Most have high hopes that the team has put together a young core group that can compete in their division. It's interesting to me that I hear the same issues that Marlins fans ascribe to the Sherman ownership group - unwillingness to spend, etc. Of course, the last Reds WS title was before the Marlins were created. Most fans, like their Marlins compatriots, do not connect to the previous championships. I grew up watching the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati (as an Expos fan) but most people I spoke with had no direct interaction with those great days in Reds history. My point: fans are the same all over. High-income team fans are never satisfied either, which is why I love to pester Dodger fans. They boil when I mention it has been over 35 years and billions of dollars since there was a genuine Dodger championship. So much fun!