Waiver claim Jesús Tinoco finds immediate success with Marlins

[Kevin Barral]

Tinoco has quietly been on a 10-inning scoreless streak since rejoining the Marlins.

MIAMI, FL—Once upon a time, Jesús Tinoco was a member of the 2020 Marlins. Four years later, after making many stops with different teams, he's back in Miami and pitching better than ever.

There were no expectations on Tinoco this time around as he was just designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs. The Marlins were just looking for him to fill out their bullpen following a series of trade deadline deals. Since making his return to the organization, Tinoco has been surprisingly dominant, posting a 0.00 ERA, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters. He entered Tuesday's game with a 1.38 FIP which dropped even lower following a clean inning of work.

Pitching the top of the ninth against a tough Arizona Diamondbacks lineup, Tinoco induced a flyout and a groundout, then he struck out Eugenio Suárez with an elevated four-seam fastball to generate the whiff.

"I am very happy to be here with the team," said Tinoco in Spanish prior to his latest scoreless appearance. "Just trying to help the team as much as I can and trying to attack the hitters more and just be ready for any situation."

Despite possessing impressive stuff, Tinoco hasn't been able to stick with one team for any extended period. In 2024 alone, he has moved from the Texas Rangers to the Kansas City Royals to the Cubs to the Marlins. Miami pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda have helped the right-hander use his 96 mph fastball in a different way.

"He's attacking on the first pitch," said Cepeda, "and when you have to throw inside with the sinker, he'll do it and he'll also hit you with the slider. Good combination between both pitches. Something new that he has been doing is using that four-seamer up against lefties. He's doing a great job of locating those pitches up that are an extra tool to do what he's doing."

Tinoco has held left-handed opponents hitless in his second stint with the Fish.

"It's not 92; it's 97-98 miles per hour and he can really spin it," said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "He's been put in high-leverage situations and been really successful. Provided multiple innings, gets the ground ball when he needs it, gets the strikeout when he needs it. He's really been a pleasant surprise for us."

Tinoco, 29, has grown a lot as a pitcher since his 2020 stint with Miami. "Last year, I was in Japan and I learned new things and I have been implementing them here in the Major Leagues and they have been working for me." That includes adjustments that he made to his slider when overseas, which have added to its effectiveness. His plus-4 run value and 37.2 Whiff% on the pitch are both on track to be new career highs.

Spread across five separate seasons, Tinoco has barely gained one year of MLB service time. He's still pre-arbitration eligible and under club control through the 2029 season. Without looking too far ahead, he is giving himself a legit chance to be part of the 2025 Marlins Opening Day roster. 

 

Game Notes

It was a weird start for Edward Cabrera against Arizona: striking out three, but walking three and generating two whiffs. He posted a very high 79.2% first-pitch strike rate. In the top of the first inning, Cabrera permitted an RBI to Joc Pederson and allowed solo home runs to both Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

The only run that the Marlins were able to score came on an Xavier Edwards RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. In his second game with the Marlins, Connor Norby went 2-for-4 with two doubles. That marked Norby's second career multi-hit game and first with the Marlins. His last multi-hit game occurred in Miami as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

The Marlins suffered their 80th loss of the season by a final score of 3-1. The Marlins will look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday as Roddery Muñoz takes the mound for the Marlins. Struggling veteran Jordan Montgomery starts for the Diamondbacks.

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