Reds take series against Marlins courtesy of six long balls

Since his debut in 2021, the main concern when looking at Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera has been the 26-year-old's ability to find the strike zone. Entering Saturday afternoon's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Cabrera had walked 13.9% of all batters faced during his career, nearly double the MLB average for starters.

Interestingly enough, that number did not go up after his most recent lackluster outing. Instead of missing the zone, Cabrera couldn't miss barrels, as although the Reds lineup recorded six hits, four of them left the yard. This theme continued following Cabrera's departure just 3 ⅓ innings into the game. Just as they did two games ago in Houston, the Marlins out-hit Cincinnati, 15-10, but also displayed some poor clutch hitting yet again, going 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position. Standout performances from Jake Burger and Josh Bell kept the Fish in the game, but the two JB's couldn't do enough. Miami fell by a score of 10-6, securing yet another series loss in their 31st set of the season. 

While Cabrera did generate a good amount of swing-and-miss—he tallied seven strikeouts—the righty let up seven hard-hit balls. Cabrera allowed one homer on his four-seam fastball, one on his changeup, and two on his curveball. Overall, Cabrera's power-changeup was the pitch that he found the most success with, as it was responsible for two of his strikeouts and 14 of 33 whiffs (42%). Saturday's late-fireworks show marked the first time Cabrera allowed more than two homers in his career. The former-top prospect's 2024 ERA now sits at 8.26.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker defended his starter postgame, saying, "He's just not sharp yet. I think the velocity was his best of the year so far. I think the changeup was good again. Just some hanging breaking balls got hit like last start."

Huascar Brazobán, Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender and A.J. Puk finished the game out of the bullpen for Miami. Brazobán entered the contest in the middle of the fourth with a 5-4 lead, although the bases were loaded after Cabrera allowed two singles and hit a batter before being pulled. All three runs crossed after some Reds small-ball, allowing Cincinnati to take a lead they never gave up. Nardi was bit by the homer bug as well, as Santiago Espinal and Rece Hinds gave more fans souvenirs. The homer off of Nardi was Hinds' second of the day and third of the series. On the bright side, Bender and Puk both enjoyed clean innings.

Offensively for Schumaker's club, the two 2023 trade deadline acquisitions, Jake Burger and Josh Bell, essentially kept Miami in the game. The two went back-to-back in the third, one of four hits and two RBI's for Burger, while Bell laced a double in the sixth to put his team back within a run, his second RBI of the day. Burger's 10th homer of the season was just his first against a left-handed pitcher, as Andrew Abbott struggled just as much as Cabrera did.

Elsewhere in the Marlins lineup, Xavier Edwards tallied two more hits, raising his batting average to .333 and his OPS to .816. After coming back to the big league club with a chip on his shoulder, Edwards is showing the Marlins coaches and front office what he can do when given the opportunity.

Finally, hours after Schumaker mentioned that he could be getting looks in the infield, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was moved from center field to second base in the middle of the game. Chisholm had not played in the infield since June 28, 2022 before Saturday. After recent trade reports, it appears that Miami is sending a message by showing the 26-year-old's versatility.

Trevor Rogers takes the ball in an attempt to salvage the series Sunday afternoon at 1:40 ET. Opposite of Rogers is Nick Lodolo, who is enjoying a solid 2024 campaign, sporting a 3.30 ERA and an 8-3 record. It is the Marlins' final game before the All-Star break.