Scott puts ‘mistake pitch’ in rear-view mirror
Tanner Scott is already doing what he can to put Wednesday behind him.
For the first time since establishing himself as the Miami Marlins’ closer, he made a mistake. A slider, the fifth consecutive breaking ball in the deciding at-bat, hung over the heart of the plate.
The result: A three-run walk-off home run to sink the Marlins in a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Can’t do that,” Scott said of his game-sealing pitch.
But Scott also knows he can’t let the sting of the defeat linger.
“We’re not perfect,” Scott said. “Tomorrow’s a new day.”
That’s the mentality he needs to have.
Yes, Wednesday’s outing was far from ideal, especially considering the Marlins were a pitch away from winning the series with the Phillies.
But look at what Scott has done in the rest of his outings this month, at which point he became Miami’s primary closer, prior to Wednesday’s walk-off loss.
He had six relief appearances, five in the ninth and one in the 10th after a game had gone into extra innings. In those half-dozen outings, Scott allowed just three hits and one unearned run (an automatic runner from second in extra innings) while striking out 10 and not issuing a walk or hitting a batter. He converted saves in four of those six outings. He earned the win in the other two with the Marlins earning walkoff wins.
“Whenever they call my name,” said Scott, whom the Marlins acquired at the end of spring training from the Baltimore
Orioles along with Cole Sulser. “I’ve just got to be ready. Just trying to get a zero on the board. I don’t
try to think about it. Just go out there and attack.” That’s key for a closer. Having the stuff to get outs in the ninth inning is important, of course. Scott has it, with a four-seam fastball that averages 96.4 mph and touches 98 and a slider that gets opponents to whiff 42.9 percent of the time. He also ranks among MLB’s best in swing-and-miss rate (38.8 percent, 99th percentile in the league), strikeout rate (35.5 percent, 97th percentile) and chase rate (31.7 percent, 77th percentile). His walk rate — an issue throughout his career — sits at just 11.8 percent, still high by MLB standards (the league average is 8.4 percent) but nearly a career low after he walked 14.7 percent of the batters he faced last season.
“When he throws strikes,” catcher Jacob Stallings said, “he’s really hard to hit . ... He’s getting more comfortable in his
delivery and getting confident. I can feel that confidence every time I talk to him.”
But just as important as the pitching arsenal is having the mental fortitude to handle the pressure — or not get fazed by the pressure — of knowing whether your team wins or loses comes down to if you can get the final outs in a close game.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly last week joked that the reason Scott is so effective in handling the closer role is because he “doesn’t know he’s in a high-leverage situation.”
“He knows the situation,” Mattingly quickly clarified, “but I don’t think he gets bothered by it. He just reacts the same no matter when he’s out there.”
It’s also worth noting that, at this point, Scott is really the Marlins’ best option to be the team’s closer considering who they have available.
Anthony Bender and Cole Sulser, two key highleverage relievers, are on the injured list. Bender, who was given the bulk of the Marlins’ save opportunities prior to his injury, has been sidelined since May 22 with back stiffness while Sulser landed on the IL Wednesday with a right lat strain.
Anthony Bass would be the primary alternative on the active roster. He has been steady in the setup role and has a 2.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts against six walks and a 1.04 walks and hits per inning pitched rate over 26 innings. All 26 of his outings have come in the seventh inning or later, with 21 of those 26 being when the Marlins are ahead by three runs or fewer, tied or trailing by no more than one run.
Dylan Floro has generally been good but hasn’t really been in high leverage situations since making his delayed season
debut after dealing with right rotator cuff tendonitis throughout spring training that sidelined him the first month of the season. After giving up five earned runs in his first two outings, he worked 10 consecutive scoreless appearances before being charged with four earned runs on Tuesday.
Richard Bleier has struggled since returning from the COVID-19-related IL — he has a 6.14 ERA and .371 batting average against in 7 IP over nine outings.
And Steven Okert, Tommy Nance and Louis Head have primarily been middle-inning relievers or early setup guys.
So the closer role is Scott’s.
“He’s kind of solidified the end of the game for us,” Mattingly said.