Mariners decimate Marlins behind six-run first

Marlins starter Connor Gillispie had been doing a so-so job as a stop-gap in Miami's rotation as Ryan Weathers recovers from injury. Entering Saturday's middle game between Gillispie's Marlins and the home team Mariners, Gillispie owned a 6.75 ERA and 4.57 FIP across five starts.

Following Saturday, those numbers have certainly inflated.

Back-to-back homers from the first two batters Gillispie faced, Julio Rodriguez and Jorge Polanco, set the tone for Seattle, as their offense rattled off an additional four runs to bury Miami early. The Mariners kept tacking on by scoring in five of the next seven innings, culminating in an emphatic 14-0 thumping. It was the most lopsided loss that the Marlins have suffered this season.

Gillispie finished his outing allowing six hits and seven earned runs in just two innings—the shortest start of his young career. Mariners hitters teed off on the 27-year-old's entire arsenal, excluding his sweeper, which was responsible for four of the six outs recorded.

Gillispie's season ERA now sits at 8.65. With Adam Mazur dominating a couple of hours north in Jacksonville and already on Miami's 40-man roster, it begs the question of whether they should swap places in the near future.

Conversely, former Marlins farmhand Luis Castillo continued to flex on his ex-employer, one-hitting Miami's offense for six innings. Including his start Saturday, Castillo owns a 1.96 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.

Dane Myers was the only Marlin to record a hit off of Castillo with a single in the third. Myers, Graham Pauley and Kyle Stowers (x2) recorded Miami's only hits of the night, just 24 hours after an all-around ten-hit effort.

Of Note

- If there was any more evidence needed to prove that it simply wasn't Miami's day, take a look at this incredible play from Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford to get Eric Wagaman at first:

- George Soriano, Tyler Phillips and Javier Sanoja—in his second outing of the season—all allowed runs to cross in their relief appearances, while Anthony Veneziano and Lake Bachar combined for a clean inning and two-thirds.

- For the first time, Agustín Ramírez looked human at the big league level. Ramírez went 0-for-4 and finally struck out, dropping his OPS from 2.150 to 1.563.

Up Next

Max Meyer, coming off one of the best strikeout performances in Marlins franchise history, takes the ball for Clayton McCullough on Sunday, going for Miami's second straight series win. Opposing Meyer is Logan Evans, Seattle's #8 prospect, according to Baseball America. Evans pitched to the tune of a 3.86 ERA through five starts at Triple-A Tacoma with his sinker/sweeper combination. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 ET.