There are no big winners on the 2024 Marlins pitching staff

QUEENS, NY—The Miami Marlins have not had many wins to spread around this season. The 46 that they do have are being dispersed in a highly unconventional way. Such is life when you're missing your ace and lacking any semblance of roster continuity, for that matter.

Facing the New York Mets on Sunday, Valente Bellozo was attempting a feat that none of his teammates had done this season: earning a win in three consecutive starts. Bellozo was coming off back-to-back scoreless games against the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. With one out to go in the bottom of the fifth inning, he was giving the Mets the same treatment, clinging to a 1-0 lead.

But then Francisco Lindor stepped into the batter's box for the third time. Bellozo got the desired result when Lindor chased a 1-0 changeup slightly below the strike zone. However, the Mets shortstop got underneath the ball enough to float it into left field for a game-tying RBI single.

"It was a really nasty pitch," Bellozo said postgame. "He's an All-Star. He's a really good hitter. He got it."

To lead off the sixth inning, Brandon Nimmo also did his damage against a changeup, crushing a middle-middle pitch into the upper deck to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Bellozo took full responsibility for that mistake. "We're in the big leagues: if you miss, you're gonna pay."

On a day when he admittedly did not have his best stuff and got bailed out by his defense on several deep fly balls, Bellozo's final line (5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 83 pitches/50 strikes) still would've been enough to register a W under most circumstances. Unfortunately, this iteration of the Marlins lineup does not give pitchers much margin for error. The rookie right-hander was on the hook for the loss when he exited.

Despite their deficits in talent and experience, give the second-half Marlins credit for their resiliency. They haven't been swept in a series since before the All-Star break and manufactured just enough offense to salvage their series finale in New York.

Former Fish reliever Huascar Brazoban plated Miami's second run in the seventh inning with a wild pitch. Batting with two on and two out in the eighth, Derek Hill singled home Jonah Bride to retake the lead.

 

Four Marlins relievers combined for eight strikeouts across 3 ⅔ scoreless innings to seal the victory. Andrew Nardi's well-timed appearance—completing the seventh inning and starting off the eighth—dropped the decision into his lap. Nardi became just the fifth pitcher in Marlins history and the first since Clay Hensley in 2010 to record a win on his birthday.

The other 29 MLB teams have each had pitchers record at least seven wins in their uniforms this season (yes, even the Chicago White Sox). Bellozo was, in my estimation, the only Marlins pitcher with a realistic path to get there. His no-decision on Sunday further decreases those already-slim odds.

Tanner Scott paces the Marlins with the six wins he accrued prior to being traded on July 30. Merely tying him will be challenging for any of his ex-teammates.

Next up on the Marlins wins leaderboard are two other relievers, Anthony Bender and A.J. Puk with four apiece. Bender will be sidelined for the foreseeable future due to a right shoulder impingement. Like Scott, Puk was dealt to a contender prior to the deadline, so any additional victories he earns won't count toward his Miami total.

Tied at three wins, we have Nardi, Declan Cronin, Jesús Luzardo, Ryan Weathers and Max Meyer. Nardi needs to be right in the middle of a few more Sunday-like scenarios. Cronin appears in high-leverage situations semi-regularly, but his effectiveness has dipped recently (hasn't completed a full inning of work in his last six outings). Luzardo's back injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. Barring setbacks, Weathers' finger injury will still delay his return until mid/late September. Although Meyer is a fixture in the starting rotation, he's been both mediocre and inefficient since coming up from Triple-A last month, averaging 18.6 pitches per inning. There have been and likely will continue to be starts where he does not pitch deep enough to be eligible for the W.

Between trades, injuries and guys simply being unable to get the job done, the Marlins have constantly cycled through arms in 2024. Their total of 35 different pitchers used is only two shy of the single-season franchise record set in 2020. Adam Oller will reportedly be No. 36 when he starts Monday's contest. In the midst of a minor league rehab assignment, Josh Simpson could become No. 37 in September (if somebody else doesn't beat him to it).

With the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, every Marlins team has had somebody reach eight pitcher wins. We are witnessing an unprecedented season from that standpoint.

The Marlins begin their third-to-last homestand of the year on Monday night. The Arizona Diamondbacks—whose roster features old friends Josh Bell, A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro—are coming to Miami for a three-game set. The aforementioned Oller has a 2.88 ERA and 3.46 FIP in 25 innings at Triple-A since signing with the Marlins organization. His first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.