Marlins offense shows up too late against White Sox

Fresh off a lengthy stint on the injured list for a hamstring strain, Bryan Hoeing took to the mound for the Miami Marlins’ series opener against the Chicago White Sox. It was his first start in 2024, having been used mostly as a multi-inning reliever before getting injured and playing the swingman role last year.

The plan on Friday was for Hoeing and Roddery Muñoz to piggyback off each other and get the Marlins into the latter third of the game. Despite both pitchers dancing through raindrops and inflating their WHIPs, they combined to allow for just three runs, and Muñoz was able to deliver the game to the eighth inning for the bullpen to handle the rest.

Hoeing struck out the first two batters he faced before allowing a single and a walk, but was able to get out of the first inning by striking out Eloy Jiménez.

With the aid of a Dane Myers assist, the only run Hoeing would allow was a second-inning RBI double from Nicky Lopez. The right-hander allowed five hits and a walk in three innings (46 pitches) of work.

Muñoz also retired the first two batters he faced when he entered in the fourth inning, but permitted a two-out single to Lopez and a subsequent RBI double to Martin Maldonado down the left field line.

Muñoz would let two runs score in his four innings, along with four walks and four hits. 

The White Sox had at least one batter reach base in eight separate innings. Muñoz and Hoeing stranded 10 runners, and the Sox went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

JT Chargois and Declan Cronin each pitched one scoreless inning.

White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe was dominant against the Marlins offense. In 6 ⅔ innings, he allowed one run, two walks and three hits. One of those hits was a bloop double off the bat of Vidal Bruján into shallow left field along the foul line. Another hit was an infield single from Jazz Chisholm Jr.

The Marlins chased Thorpe from the game after a Dane Myers double in the seventh inning on Thorpe’s 90th pitch of the game.

Myers said the changeup and fastball mixture from the right-hander kept the Marlins off-balance all night. That changeup was Thorpe's most-used pitch of the night, accounting for 38 percent of his pitches on Friday.

"He had a really good changeup," Myers said. "We knew that going in. Got to make sure you get it up. I think we did that—or tried to do it—first time through the order. We didn't succeed, didn't get it up enough. He threw well though. He hit his spots. Fastball played up a little bit because of the good changeup. But hats off to him: he threw a really good game."

Miami immediately jumped on reliever John Brebbia when Xavier Edwards drove home Myers on a single into left field. That run was charged to Thorpe. Nick Fortes reached on a single, and Chisholm reached on a walk to load the bases with two out. Bryan De La Cruz hit a ball to deep center field that looked like it was going to tie the game at 3-3, at minimum. But Luis Robert Jr. was able to track it down and get Chicago out of their most dangerous inning of the night.

For a brief moment in the ninth inning, it looked like the Marlins were setting up for a rally. Vidal Bruján reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and Chisholm reached on a two-out single to put runners at the corners. De La Cruz singled to score Bruján and get the Marlins within a run, but Josh Bell followed it up with a first-pitch groundout to first base.

The White Sox secured only their 10th road win of the season. It was their first victorious series opener away from Chicago. It won't get any easier for the Marlins on Saturday when they oppose Sox ace Garrett Crochet.