Braves send Sugar Kings out with a loss

MIAMI—Coming off a series-opening and playoff-spoiling victory, Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker spoke Saturday afternoon about embracing the challenge of facing the well-oiled machine that is the Atlanta Braves: 

"Where we're at in the season, we're lucky that we get to face playoff-caliber teams right now, because when you're 150 games in or so and you're facing teams that might be in our situation, it's not that it's tough to come to the ballpark, but it's tough to play against some teams that are may be checking boxes...The great news is we have to play the Braves. We just got to play the Dodgers. We're playing the Twins pretty soon. So like all these teams we're facing lately are trying to get into the tournament, and that is a great thing for us because I don't need to motivate them."

The second game of the series started with both offenses exchanging blows, as Derek Hill and Otto Lopez got Miami on the board in the first and sixth, while old friend Jorge Soler and Matt Olson did the damage for Atlanta.

Marlins starter Adam Oller, who has quietly been solid for Miami since being called up in mid-August, delivered 5 ⅔ innings of bend-but-don't-break pitching. The righty allowed eight hits, but also struck out eight and featured heavy reliance on his slurve, which tallied seven whiffs when it was all said and done.

"I made pitches when I needed to make pitches. The punchouts were obviously there, a lot better today. So all in all, not really upset with the outing at all," said the veteran.

As soon as Oller departed, though, Olson and Gio Urshela immediately struck back, as contending teams often do, with two two-run homers in the top of the seventh off of Lake Bachar.

Schumaker said with regret postgame that he could've put in Xzavion Curry to face Urshela, but elected to leave Bachar out there. "That one I kind of wish I had back and not put him in that position...So  I'll put that one on me, the Urshela home run."

Following the two blasts, Miami's offense couldn't make a late-inning push against Atlanta's stifling bullpen, collecting only one hit from the seventh onward. Jesús Sánchez grounded out to first, putting the nail in the Marlins' coffin as they fell 6-2. Saturday's loss dropped Schumaker's club to 57-98 on the season.

Of Note

- Pregame, the Marlins held their 2024 minor league awards ceremony:

- Alex Carver broke down top prospect Thomas White's media scrum, including White's goals for 2025 and his assessment of his first full year in pro baseball. FOF will have similar pieces on Ryan Ignoffo and Joe Mack soon.

- Schumaker noted pregame that Braxton Garrett felt something in the back of his elbow during his last bullpen and that "it’s gonna be tough for him to make a start before the end of the season.” Garrett met with the media postgame, saying "the outside elbow just hasn't quite got there. I've been able to battle through it a little bit, expecting to get over that hump, but it just didn't happen. Just after the bullpen, it just didn't seem like it was quite there.” Garrett made just seven starts MLB starts this year.

- As previously mentioned, Saturday's game was the final time the Marlins will don their City Connect Uniforms inspired by the Cuban Sugar Kings. Miami finished with a record of 22-27 in the caliente red and baby blue threads.

- The Marlins announced that Jun-Seok Shim, one of the two prospects they acquired for Bryan De La Cruz at the trade deadline, is heading to the desert to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

Up Next

Miami looks to play spoiler once again in Sunday's rubber match that features two inexperienced starting arms. Darren McCaughan toes the slab for the Fish in their final home game of the season, sporting a 7.33 ERA this season in seven appearances as a Marlin. Opposing the 28-year-old is Braves rookie Grant Holmes, who has had a rocky September thus far, allowing five earned runs in just seven innings. The last first pitch from loanDepot park in 2024 comes your way at 1:40.