Noah Berger

MIAMI, FL—Coming off their second win at home this season and looking for their first series win, the Marlins sent Trevor Rogers to the mound with a catcher he hadn't even spoken to before. Soon-to-be 28-year-old Jhonny Pereda out of Venezuela helped Rogers along to his best start of the season on Wednesday, but it was all for naught as the bullpen continued to struggle and the offense couldn't catch a break. Rogers got off to a fast start, inducing three straight groundouts to the left side of the infield in the first inning on just 15 pitches. Old friend Jorge Soler singled to lead off the second and came around to score on a double into the left field corner by Thairo Estrada. Following the double, Rogers proceeded to retire the next eleven batters he faced before Tyler Fitzgerald led off the sixth inning with a single. The large left-hander got two quick outs, but on his 93rd pitch, Jung Hoo Lee grounded one softly to Tim Anderson for an infield single, putting two men on. Newly recalled Declan Cronin took over from there, allowed both runners to advance on a wild pitch and walked Soler to load the bases, but then got Matt Chapman to ground out to end the inning. Trevor Rogers' final line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 93/59 pitches/strikes. f0228994-de6a0297-28300af1-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 Skip Schumaker on Rogers' outing and start to the season: "I'm really impressed with him. He's growing as a pitcher. He's been excellent this year." Through four starts in 2024, Rogers has a 3.92 ERA, a smidge lower than his 4.16 career mark. On his outing, Trevor said, "Mel (Stottlemyre Jr.) and I talked after the game, and he said, 'I think you're finally pitching out there.' And it was kind of hard for me to hide my smile right there. It's something I've been working for. Not trying just to throw the ball, but pitch the ball." On the offensive side, there wasn't much to be proud of unless your name is Bryan De La Cruz. He continued his recent hot streak at the plate with a single in the first inning and a game-tying opposite-field home run in the sixth inning. His third home run of the season went 363 feet (103.7 mph off the bat). 7b9d45c4-2bd98b74-7cab57c8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 De La Cruz now has hits in 16 of the Marlins' first 19 games and six multi-hit games. He is riding a six-game hitting streak. Skip Schumaker on DLC's performance: "When he's using the whole field, he's a really good and dangerous hitter. You see what he can do against righties and lefties. I'm having a tough time not putting them at the top of the order so he gets that extra at-bat. He's done an excellent job so far this year." Cronin and Anthony Bender allowed a run each in the seventh and eighth innings respectively to give the Giants a 3-1 lead. There would've been more damage done if not for the defensive stylings of Luis Arraez. In the seventh, he made a diving play on a ball up the middle, tapped the second base bag with his glove, and threw to first to complete a double play. 0cf640a0-f0f85719-afb6f48b-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 The Marlins offense was unable to pick up the slack. The two pinch-hitters who reached base with one out in the bottom of the eighth were for naught as Arraez grounded into an inning-ending double play. In 2 hours and 24 minutes, in front of a crowd of 8,179 fans, the Marlins dropped their fifteenth game of the season, 3-1. Skip Schumaker on the dreadful start to the season: "The guys work and that's what's frustrating here. Everybody was out there taking ground balls at like 10 in the morning after a long night game. The coaches are scrambling, trying to get this thing right. And that's what's difficult because these guys are fighting their tails off and working and we're just not seeing the wins, and that's what's the most frustrating thing." Noah's Notes The Marlins have dropped all six series they've played in to begin the season. I'm told that's not good. After appearing to be favoring his right shoulder during all of his at-bats, Jazz Chisholm Jr. informed media that he has a bruise on his shoulder from when he crashed into the wall in St. Louis. He feels it every time he swings and needs to "wind it up like a jack-in-a-box" to get the soreness out. The closed roof this afternoon ended a streak of five open-roof games, tied for the second-longest streak in loanDepot park history. On Thursday night, A.J. Puk is set to return from the flu to face the Chicago Cubs in Wrigleyville for the first of four games. Isaac Azout is on his way there as I type this. 'Til Tmrw!

Being diagnosed at a young age with Asperger's syndrome, now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, I have experienced untold frustrations and incredible successes on my way to bringing you Miami Marlins coverage. What is Asperger's? There are many characteristics of someone with Asperger's, but for me, several stood out as a child: difficulty with social interactions and social language; not understanding emotions well or having less facial expression than others; not understanding nonverbal communication, such as gestures, body language, and facial expressions; not understanding sarcasm; becoming upset at slight changes in routines; and difficulty managing emotions, sometimes leading to verbal or behavioral outbursts. Luckily, I have a brilliant mother who picked up when I was very young that something was different, or "atypical," as she liked to put it. She took me to social skills classes throughout my youth to enable me to develop the skills I would need in the real world. And for an adult with Asperger's, I still work on those skills every day. It's an ongoing fight to understand behavior, recognize changes in routine and how that affects me, and manage my emotions. Several years ago, Fish On First (then under the Fish Stripes banner) took a shot on a kid with Asperger's. Being on their roster has only added to my skills building. But the challenges persist. It is hard to settle into my "routine" when we have such a large staff that divides up the coverage assignments. I take pride in being prepared and have lost control of my emotions—lashing out to my colleagues both privately and publicly—when being away from the ballpark has left me with outdated or incorrect information. Although embarrassing, these have been important teaching moments and reminders that my Asperger's does not go away, it just needs to be controlled. Being a member of Fish On First is a huge success in and of itself. I am proud to be part of a team that delivers the finest Marlins coverage on the internet and travels across Major League Baseball to do it for you. The relationships I have developed with the Marlins and their personnel, coaches, players, and executives have all helped me. My questions and mannerisms may be “atypical,” but I feel welcomed by all. And for that, I am truly thankful. The most rewarding part of this journey comes when someone finds out I have Asperger's for the first time. Two things happen: A person whispers in my ear that they never knew I had Asperger's, and they are proud to see where I am. Obviously, that fills me with pride. A person starts to tell me of their family member who has Autism and how they are motivated by how far I have come. And sometimes, if you can imagine, they even ask me for advice. As we celebrate Autism Acceptance Day with the Marlins, please take a moment and look around at all those around you who may be “atypical.” There are more around than you know. When you meet someone with Asperger’s or Autism, take a moment and give them an extra second to take in what’s going on around them. Be patient. Ask what you can do to diffuse an escalating situation. Remember that social skills are essential for everyone. They can take you anywhere, even to a Major League pressbox.

BRONX, NY—Following two losses to begin their series against the Yankees in the Bronx, the Marlins looked to Ryan Weathers for the final game of the three-game series. He answered the bell, throwing five scoreless innings in the park adjacent to where his father won a World Series in 1996. Keeping hitters off balance and getting weak contact was the name of the game for Weathers as he didn't allow anyone on the Yankees to reach third base even while his pitch count continued to climb early on. He stranded two runners in both the second and third innings to keep it scoreless and worked a clean and crisp 1-2-3 fifth inning to end his night. In that fifth inning, Jose Trevino hit a ball to deep left field that could've, should've, and would've been a home run had it not been for the wind that was howling in from LF. Weathers' final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 94/53 pitches/strikes. 14cd1d5b-99c8-48d6-a1f8-2b4e233db01e.mp4 Weathers said of pitching close to where his father won a World Series: "You know, it's really cool. I've always heard stories of him in '96. I wasn't born yet, but just hearing all the stories of him winning here and its just really cool to kind of be a second generation to come here and win a ballgame." On the offensive side of the ball, the Marlins hitters rallied in the fourth inning beginning with a walk by Nick Gordon, who went to third on a gorgeous hit-and-run with Nick Fortes at the plate, and scored when Luis Arraez hit a single to notch his first RBI of the season. Birthday boy Jake Burger then proceeded to take Marcus Stroman to the Marlins bullpen for a three-run home run to give the Marlins a 4-0 lead. 108.5 mph, 425 ft. e20c1b4e-932634d4-c04526d6-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 "Anytime you can get a win and hit a homer on a birthday, it seems like a pretty good day," Burger said. "I woke up this morning, and what I wanted was a Marlins win, and fortunately, we got one." Bryan Hoeing relieved Weathers to begin the sixth inning and fulfilled a childhood dream by pitching at Yankee Stadium. The first batter he faced was Aaron Judge, and Hoeing wasted no time, striking him out on a nasty slider at the bottom of the zone. Then, Hoeing left a sinker in the middle of the plate to Giancarlo Stanton, who hit his first-ever home run against the Marlins. Stanton has now homered against every major league ballclub. Hoeing bounced back with a pop-up and a strikeout to end the inning. Hoeing on buckling down to complete the inning: "That was huge. To be able to bounce back after a home run like that when the stadium erupted a little bit, to keep my composure and bear down and get the next two guys to give Nardi a clean inning there in that next inning to help the bullpen out a little bit, that was huge." Andrew Nardi pitched a scoreless seventh and has "started to look like himself again," according to manager Skip Schumaker. Anthony Bender got into some trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing a run on a walk and a booming double off the bat of Juan Soto. Skip elected to hand the ball to Tanner Scott with one out, a runner on second, and Stanton, Rizzo, and Torres due up. Scott walked Stanton, got Rizzo to pop out, and struck out Torres to preserve the 4-2 lead. Marlins hitters tacked on another run in the top of the ninth. With the runners going on an 0-2 pitch, Tim Anderson made his way from second to home on Fortes' grounder to the left side. And then things got dicey again. Scott got a groundout to first for the first out, allowed a single to old friend Jon Berti, got Trevino to pop out, and then walked Volpe and Soto to load the bases for none other than Aaron Judge. "I didn't mean to make it interesting with the bases loaded and two outs. It was not fun and I need to do better on that part and stop walking people especially after getting out of eighth," said Scott. But he rebounded and got Judge to hit a lazy fly ball to Jazz in center field to end the game and secure the first Marlins save of the season. It took Scott 34 pitches to get the job done, one shy of his highest total from any 2023 appearance. Final score: Marlins 5, Yankees 2. Time of game: 2 hours, 50 minutes. Noah's Notes Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes. Nick Gordon reached base safely in three of his four plate appearances. Luis Arraez went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jesús Sánchez worked two walks and stole his career-high-tying third base of the season. Mind you, it's only the second week of April. Sánchez squandered the steal, however, by getting doubled off of second base on a routine fly ball. The Marlins have an off day Thursday before hosting the Braves for a three-game series in Miami beginning on Friday. Thank you to everyone who followed along with my coverage of the series in the Bronx. 'Til Tmrw.

Coming off a firing squad loss the previous night, the Marlins looked to even the series in the Bronx on Tuesday night. They at least made the game somewhat competitive, but still came up empty, dropping to 1-11. Miami is the 19th team in MLB history to lose at least 11 of its first 12 games of a season and first since the 2010 Baltimore Orioles. No team that has started 1-11 or worse has ever finished better than .500 (the 1973 Cardinals finished 81-81). Six of the first 18 teams lost at least 100 games, according to Stathead, including the 1998 Florida Marlins (54-108). A.J. Puk got off to a shaky start in the first inning, getting into a first-and-third jam with one out. He was rescued by a slick play from Emmanuel Rivera to cut down the runner trying to score on a groundout by Giancarlo Stanton. cThMT2VfVjBZQUhRPT1fQVZkWUIxSUJCUUVBREZWWFZBQUFDUVZSQUFOUUFsWUFDbHdEQkZaUVZBcGNWRmRV (1).mp4 Having thrown 29 pitches in the first inning, it seemed as though the bullpen would be called upon early in the game. Surprisingly, he made it all the way to the fifth inning and only allowed a single earned run on a home run by Alex Verdugo. To end the third inning, Bryan De La Cruz robbed Stanton of what would've been a double by making a leaping grab in front of the wall. 11972fd1-4f5381ed-47a909a3-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 Puk almost gave up another home run to Anthony Volpe in the fourth inning, but it just barely hooked foul. Puk responded by inducing a comebacker that he fielded himself to start a much-needed double play. He allowed another run in the fifth inning—albeit unearned—following a two-base error by shortstop Tim Anderson and an RBI double by Stanton. Puk was removed following the double and was replaced by Sixto Sánchez, who retired Anthony Volpe on a popout to end the inning. A.J. Puk's final line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 98/56 pitches/strikes. He set career highs in innings pitched and pitches thrown in what was his third career MLB start. “When he’s on the attack, he’s fine," Skip Schumaker said postgame. "We’ve got to get him in the strike zone, on the attack, more consistently. He’s just shooting himself in the foot with the walks...We’ve got to get him deeper into games.” “The first inning’s been the toughest inning for me so far," Puk said. "I’ve got to do better getting ready and executing from the start.” The Marlins offense wasn't able to muster much of anything against Carlos Rodón until the seventh inning where they capitalized on an error by Anthony Rizzo to score two runs and bring the game within one. That would be all as they dropped yet another game by the score of 3-2. Skip on the offense: "Rodón was really good today. I'm just proud of the fight that they had. We had the right guys up at the right time and just couldn't cash in. If they keep doing that, we're going to be okay." Through 12 games, the Marlins have already faced seven left-handed starting pitchers. They've lost every one of those matchups. Skip on having to face so many lefties out of the gate: "We’ve had a lot of them—a lot of good ones, too, unfortunately. We’ve just got to figure out a way to put together consistent at-bats.” Tim Anderson on Rodón: “He comes at you. He competes. His stuff was moving all over tonight. You couldn’t really lock in on one spot.” Noah's Notes The Marlins have lost six of their last eight games vs. the Yankees and are 17-22 all-time. They fell to 3-6 at the current Yankee Stadium. They are 0-2 in one-run games after thriving under those circumstances last season. Time of game: 2 hours, 35 minutes. Jon Berti took a couple minutes to speak with Fish On First about the trade that brought him to the Yanks. Watch the interview here. Marcus Stroman vs. Ryan Weathers on Wednesday. 'Til Tmrw!

BRONX, NY—Following their first win of the regular season Sunday in St. Louis, the Marlins made their way up to the Bronx. After taking time on the field to admire the partial solar eclipse, the team looked to notch a second victory against the big bad Yankees. Nestor Cortes had other plans. Marlins hitters only registered two hits against Cortes, both coming off the bat of Bryan De La Cruz. Nobody else on the squad reached base. His final line was incredible: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 102/70 pitches/strikes. His game score of 84 was tied for the highest game score against the Marlins since Aaron Nola on 7/17/22 and Kevin Gausman on 4/24/21, and the second-highest since Stephen Strasburg's 92 on 8/31/19. Besides his first strikeout of the game, all of the others were swinging. 5b3b152b-517fe719-e9d5256b-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 "His fastball command was really good," manager Skip Schumaker said about Cortes postgame. "He was ahead of almost every hitter...Messed with our timing. He was just outstanding tonight." Jesús Luzardo got off to a great start on the other side of the ball, working three scoreless innings with only one hit allowed. That all changed in the fourth inning as Anthony Volpe sent a hanging slider into the left-field bleachers for a three-run homer, and Juan Soto did the same with a hanging changeup into the right-field seats. Six runs for the Yankees in the blink of an eye.In the fourth inning, the Yankees sent nine runners to the plate, scoring six runs on five hits, and somehow, Luzardo threw only 19 pitches. The Yankees tacked on another run in the fifth to force him out of the game. Burch Smith and Matt Andriese mopped things up from there. Luzardo's final line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 94/55 pitches/strikes. Noah's Notes The Marlins drop to 1-10 to start the season—including 0-6 against left-handed starters—as they embark on what might be one of the most disappointing yet expected seasons in franchise history. They did nothing to improve upon the exciting team from last year and are now decimated by injuries to their pitching staff. Two of those absent arms, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera, are nearly ready to return from the IL, but this team has dug itself into a deep hole without them. It's going to be a long season. Carlos Rodón vs. A.J. Puk on Tuesday. 'Til Tmrw!

The Marlins announced Tuesday afternoon that they have acquired infielder Emmanuel Rivera from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, infield prospect Jacob Amaya was designated for assignment. Rivera hit .261 in 257 at-bats over 86 games for the Diamondbacks last season. Across parts of three MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals, he has slashed .247/.304/.380 with 17 home runs and four stolen bases. He was squeezed off of the Diamondbacks roster ahead of 2024 Opening Day and had been in DFA limbo prior to this trade. Rivera primarily plays third base and is expected to fill in at third for the Marlins when Jake Burger gets starts at first base or DH. Jon Berti was slated for that job, but he was traded to the New York Yankees last week. Rivera has accrued plus-nine defensive runs saved in 1,394 career innings at the hot corner. Manager Skip Schumaker said of where Rivera would fit in: "I anticipate him being a utility infielder. He's been on the left side of the infield a lot. He has played first base. Every time we faced him he killed us, especially against lefties. So I anticipate him being one of those options." A native of Puerto Rico, Rivera has played in five consecutive Caribbean Series tournaments and was the starting third baseman for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Amaya, 25, had been assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville. The middle infielder was entering his second season in the Marlins organization after coming over from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 Miguel Rojas trade. He played four big league games for Miami last year. It is unclear when and where Rivera is going to join the team and who would be sent down from the active roster to make room for him. Jonah Bride appears to be the most likely corresponding move as he still has minor league options, while Vidal Bruján does not.

Jupiter, FL—While the starting rotation is the number one topic of conversation around Miami Marlins camp—especially while everyone waits for news on Eury Pérez—the bullpen continues to take shape as Opening Day draws near quietly. Two critical pieces of the 'pen made their first back-to-back appearances, the best story in camp passed his latest test on just two days' rest, and the continued absence of Huascar Brazoban creates an opportunity for an additional arm. (Brazoban is still dealing with visa issues and has been getting work done at the Marlins academy in the Dominican Republic.) Tanner Scott pitched to a 2.31 ERA over a career-high 78 innings last season, forcing his way into the closer role towards the middle of the year. His WHIP was an astonishing 0.99. After a rough start to spring training, Scott has looked like his usual self in his last few outings. For the first time this spring, he pitched on back-to-back days and did not allow a run in either outing. In his previous four outings, including Wednesday, he has allowed 0 runs in 3.1 IP after allowing ten runs (eight earned) in just one full inning of work across three appearances to begin the spring. It had gotten so out of whack that when he finally recorded three outs, he came to the dugout and was congratulated by Skip Schumaker for finally getting three outs and proceeded to parade through the dugout cheering, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!" Joining Scott in the back-to-back outings club is last year's setup man/firefighter, Andrew Nardi. While Scott got off to a rough start, Nardi picked up right where he left off, not allowing a single run in his seven spring appearances. He has been dealing with some command issues, walking seven batters and hitting one, but he's kept his WHIP down at 1.35 through 6.2 IP. Skip on where Nardi slots into the mix: "I don't know what we're going to do just yet as far as, like, is he the seventh-inning guy? Is he the eighth-inning guy? Are we matching up? I want to see how this bullpen is going to be structured. And then I figure out from there who gets the toughest part of the lineup." Last season, Nardi pitched to a 2.67 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15 over 57.1 IP, allowing only five of the 40 runners he inherited to score, the least of any pitcher that inherited at least 40 runners last season. He shall henceforth be referred to as "Fireman Nard." Skip went on to add: "I want to see what the roster looks like. I didn't have Anthony Bender last year. He's throwing 98 mph bowling balls. So if I need a double play, it might be him." Aside from Scott, Nardi and Bender, "some guys have opened your eyes this camp," Skip said. They're battling for the five remaining spots in what is projected to be an eight-man bullpen. So who are these other guys? The unquestioned best storyline around Marlins camp this spring has been the return of Sixto Sánchez. Seemingly on the eternal IL with a myriad of shoulder setbacks, Sixto has made his triumphant return to a major league mound. And he's looked good while doing it. He's checked box after box in his return to action, pitching multiple innings on two occasions and pitching Wednesday on two days' rest as he prepares to assume a role in Schumaker's bullpen. With fastball velo that is touching 98 on multiple occasions and a signature changeup that still plays well off of that, Sixto has not allowed a run over seven innings pitched this spring while striking out seven. When asked how much Huascar Brazoban's absence means to the bullpen and who is going to be tasked with picking up the slack, Skip said: "Brazoban is a big piece in the bullpen puzzle because he can pitch in down games by one; he can pitch in tie games, and he can pitch in positive games. That's why he's so valuable. When guys are down, he can provide some useful innings. "I'm going to throw [George Soriano] in the fire quickly. He's got a really good changeup against lefties, a slider (that works against) righties and lefties, and he's throwing 96 mph. I mean, it's real. He could provide two or three innings if needed...Sixto has opened your eyes. You have [Bryan] Hoeing down there, who has been trending in the right direction and can provide multiple innings. [Vladimir] Gutierrez can provide multiple innings. So there are guys that can provide multiple innings. We'll just have to see how this all plays out." George Soriano being thrown directly into the fire stems from his ability to contribute in almost any situation. He can make a spot start or give you length when a starter can't and everyone else is exhausted, all while still being trustworthy enough to send to the mound with a game on the line. He threw 52 innings in his first season in the majors last year over 26 games with an ERA of 3.81 and a WHIP of 1.33. He made one start and converted one save in two opportunities. a228c468-995e7c40-c1f96afd-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Two non-roster invitees, Vladimir Gutierrez and Mychal Givens, appear to be on track to break camp as members of the bullpen, filling the slots that Huascar Brazoban and the injured JT Chargois would've occupied. Vladimir Gutierrez pitched in 32 games over two seasons for the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and 2022 and has bounced around the Reds system before electing free agency after the 2023 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in February with an invite to spring training. Mychal Givens broke into the league with the Baltimore Orioles in 2015, spending the next six seasons as a staple in their bullpen before being traded to the Colorado Rockies in 2020. The Rockies traded him to the Reds in 2021. He elected free agency following that season and signed with the Chicago Cubs, who then traded him to the New York Mets at the 2022 trade deadline. Givens ran into injury trouble when he got to New York but still managed to pitch in a combined 59 games in the 2022 season. He elected free agency and went back to the Orioles, where it all started. Everything went south when left knee inflammation landed Givens on the IL for the first month of the 2023 season. He returned to the big leagues in May and pitched in six games before heading back to the IL, this time with right shoulder inflammation. The Orioles DFA'd and released him in August. The Marlins signed him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training on March 18. The last spot in the bullpen is where the real question lies. It looks like a battle between Marlins 2019 draft pick Bryan Hoeing and 2024 waiver wire pickup Declan Cronin. Hoeing ping-ponged between the bullpen and the rotation last season, pitching in 33 games, seven of them were starts. His familiarity with Skip and the coaching staff will bode well for him. Cronin is the real wild card in the equation, as the Marlins don't really know what to expect from him as he's only thrown eleven (ineffective) innings in the big leagues. That being said, it could be an anticlimactic competition if the Marlins pick either Hoeing or Gutierrez to be their temporary fifth starter (the other four being Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers). Such a decision would make room for both of them and Cronin on the pitching staff. With Josh Simpson (nerve in elbow), Calvin Faucher (shoulder), and JT Chargois (neck) all down with injuries, Cronin may well find himself sitting alongside the other seven bullpen guys when the Marlins host the Pirates on Opening Day.