Cal Quantrill 'trending in the right direction' as Fish drown the Redbirds

JUPITER, Fla.—While spring training results aren't exactly everything, one may find comfort in established players looking more like themselves as the regular season approaches.

Some 11 days away from league-wide Opening Day, the Marlins had one of those kinds of days here at Roger Dean in their 11-5 victory over their shared tenant, the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Making his third spring start, Cal Quantrill, the most notable offseason addition for the club and the owner of an ERA north of 17 through his first two outings, authored three scoreless innings. 

"I think the first two innings were very good. The third inning, just a long wait between innings, I didn't come out with the urgency I needed to. I really can't afford to be walking too many eight and nine hitters, so I got a little lucky. The command felt better, and for the most part, we're trending in the right direction," noted Quantrill.

Quantrill only registered strikes on 23 of his 43 offerings (53.3%), helping himself out via a pair of successful pickoff attempts in his final inning of work to erase his pair of previously issued free passes. The now-30-year-old led the National League with 69 walks allowed last season, his lone in Colorado.

The aforementioned long inning in question came when the Marlins, having recently plated four runs in the bottom of the second, followed it up with a five-run bottom of the third.

Eight of the nine starters tallied hits in the win, including Xavier Edwards, who continued a torrid spring with a two-hit, four-RBI performance, upping his average to .333. The Marlins shortstop has reached base safely in 12 of his 13 games this spring. 

Maybe most encouraging, though, was the rounding-into-form performance of Jonah Bride, who highlighted the day with a two-run home run off St. Louis ace Sonny Gray, capping a 2-for-3 day at the plate. While one would describe him as being off to a slow start by way of his .138 batting average entering play, Bride—the owner of a 121 OPS+ in 272 plate appearances last season—had begun spring walking in nearly 17 percent of his plate appearances. 

"The big thing, having some barrels mixed, but didn't get the results," commented Bride postgame. "I just need to be more consistent and continue to control the strike zone."

Spring Training Notes

- Spring training quirk: Cardinals starter Sonny Gray left and re-entered the game three times on Sunday. The Cardinals' scheduled Opening Day starter's final line read as follows: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 5 K.

- In addition to a stellar defensive play earlier in the game, Otto Lopez added a pair of hits to his spring ledger, driving in a run in the process. The Marlins 2B has hit .324 with a .890 OPS in 41 PA this spring.

- Good impression: Heriberto Hernández, a 25-year-old minor league outfielder signed after previously playing in the Rays minor league system during Peter Bendix's tenure there, has made the most of spring invite, hitting .286 with a .768 OPS across 32 plate appearances.

Looking Ahead

The Marlins will commence the work week when they host the New York Mets on Monday. Ryan Weathers (1-0, 1.23 ERA) looks to continue his stellar spring as he makes his fourth start. Paul Blackburn (1-1, 6.23 ERA) will oppose him for New York.

First pitch from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is slated for 1:10 EST.