Fresh from a highly competitive weekend against the New York Mets, the Miami Marlins did not bring the same energy into their series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The Marlins look to return to form when they continue their four-game set against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Miami capped a four-game split with the host Mets by earning a spirited 2-0 win in 10 innings on Sunday. One day later, the Marlins were held to five hits in a 5-1 loss to the Pirates.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said his team is not overlooking the Pirates.
“You take every team seriously,” Mattingly said. “You’ve got to get ready to play. There are some natural pitfalls that happen in your schedule that happen, but that’s something that you have to fight. We’ve got to find ways to win games every night.”
Pittsburgh is 4-2 midway through its 12-game road trip but will be without Bryan Reynolds for at least the next two weeks after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on Monday.
Reynolds, 27, leads Pittsburgh with 15 home runs and was hitting .323 with eight homers over his past 38 games.
Fortunately for the Pirates, outfielder Jake Marisnick returned to action on Monday in his first game since undergoing thumb surgery on May 12.
Marisnick homered, doubled and had a stolen base to help the Pirates win their third straight.
“You never want to miss time, but I used it as a reset,” Marisnick said. “Kind of a chance to clear my mind and get some work done. Now I’m ready to go.”
Pittsburgh also received a spark from shortstop Kevin Newman, who had three hits and is 7-for-18 (.389) since returning from the injured list on Friday.
The Pirates will use a bullpen game on Tuesday with right-hander Chris Stratton (5-4, 5.14 ERA) starting the contest.
Stratton, 31, has not pitched more than two innings in any of his 36 relief appearances this season. He is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four career games (one start) versus Miami.
Left-hander Daniel Castano (1-2, 3.60 ERA) will take the mound for the Marlins. He yielded six runs (five earned) over four innings in a 10-0 loss to the Mets on Thursday.
“A little bit of bad luck. A little bit of the ball finding holes,” Castano said after that game. “But that’s how the game is. So you have to figure it out. Find a way to get the job done and give us a chance to win, which I wasn’t able to do tonight.”
Castano, 27, has made five starts since moving into the rotation on June 15, going 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He will be making his first appearance vs. Pittsburgh.
The Marlins are hoping to have second baseman Jazz Chisolm Jr. (lower back strain) and outfielder Jorge Soler (bilateral pelvis inflammation) back within the next two weeks.
Soler took batting practice on Monday and will make a rehab appearance for Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday.
Chisholm was selected to his first All-Star Game after leading NL second basemen in homers (14), RBIs (45) and stolen bases (12). He said there was a chance he would be cleared to play in the game at Dodger Stadium on July 19.
–Field Level Media