Oller has outlier outing for historically bad Marlins rotation

MIAMI, FL—What do you get when Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Eury Pérez each go down with extended injuries? You're left with a starting rotation so ill-equipped to face big league hitters, it makes the Continental Army at Valley Forge look formidable. 

Entering play Sunday, Miami Marlins starters had a collective 5.25 ERA. That's third-worst in franchise history, trailing only 2007 (5.58) and 1998 (5.40). Their arms have totaled a league-worst 24 quality starts with 16 different individuals toeing the rubber at least once as a rotation member.

To have Adam Oller—now in his eighth big league organization and the owner of a career 7.21 ERA—making starts in late August is a microcosm of one of the more hard-to-watch seasons in franchise history. Thankfully, there is a sort of randomness endemic to baseball that keeps us coming back.

The same Chicago Cubs lineup that erupted for 14 runs in Saturday's drumming of Miami was limited by Oller to just one over 5 ⅔ innings. The right-hander's outing served as a rare feel-good moment for the 2024 club in their 7-2 win over the Cubs. 

Notable was Oller's fastball, a pitch he used 72 percent of the time in helping him punch out six batters, the most by a Marlins starter since Edward Cabrera's eight back on August 4. Since the start of play on August 5 through Saturday, Miami's 5.86 ERA starters ranked 28th among the 30 clubs.

Notes from Across the Diamond

The Miami offense erupted for seven extra-base hits in the win, matching the season-high posted on August 21. Undoubtedly, the most notable of those magnificent seven was Connor Norby's first-pitch, lead-off home run in the bottom of the first. While the rest of the Marlins lineup managed just four hits off Chicago starter Javier Assad (7 IP, 3 R), Norby seemed to have the crafty righty figured out, adding a third-inning double to his tally in what saw him collect a career-best three hits, ultimately falling just a triple short of the cycle.

Norby's six extra-base hits are the most through a player's first six games with the Marlins in franchise history.

Of note, too, was the continued suppression of the long ball by Declan Cronin and Calvin Faucher. Now at 264 and 216 hitters faced, respectively, Cronin and Faucher have yet to allow a home run this season. Kelvin Herrera in 2014 was the last MLB pitcher to face as many hitters as Cronin has in a single season without letting any of them leave the yard.

Looking Ahead

The Marlins will head Rocky Mountain high as they trek to Denver to begin a series against the NL West cellar-dweller Colorado Rockies. Edward Cabrera (2-5, 5.65 ERA) will take the ball for Miami in Monday's series opener.

First pitch from Coors Field is slated for 8:40 EST.