Marlins 5, Cardinals 2
Jose Urena sliders keep Cardinals hitters guessing
Starter Jose Urena keeps St. Louis guessing.
ST. LOUIS — Before Christian Yelich changed the outcome in the Miami Marlins’ 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals with one swing, Jose Urena did it with one pitch.
Or, at least, one type of pitch. Urena threw his slider early, often and to much success in his five innings of two-run ball against the Cardinals, the latest sign of what manager Don Mattingly said is an upped degree of confidence in the pitch that has helped Urena emerge as a consistent and legitimate major league starting pitcher this season.
Of Urena’s seven strikeouts, five came when St. Louis hitters swung and missed at a slider. Urena used 30 sliders in all against the Cardinals, the third time in four games he reached that mark after not doing so in any of his first 62 career games.
“He doesn’t shake it off at all,” said catcher A.J. Ellis.
Urena was largely effective but inefficient, not allowing a hit until Paul DeJong led off the fifth with a single to right and not allowing a run until Greg Garcia followed with a two-run homer to right. Urena labored through a scoreless
second (25 pitches) and the fifth (26 pitches).
When he needed it, though, the slider was there. Against DeJong on the ninth pitch of his second-at-bat? Slider up, swing and a miss. Against Randal Grichuk on an 0-1 count in the fourth? Slider outside, called strike. Against Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty in back to-plate appearances to end the fifth? Both sliders, both whiffs.
“I’m gaining confidence,” Urena said. “It’s getting better, getting better. When I get in a [favorable] count, I’m not afraid to throw the slider.”
Urena’s increased use of his slider isn’t just a trend from recent weeks. On the year, he has thrown it almost twice as frequently as he did in 2016 — 26.6 percent of the time entering Tuesday, according to Brooks Baseball, about one in every four pitches. Last year, itwas 14 percent.
“It doesn’t matter what the count is — 2-0, 3-2. It’s just about disrupting the hitter’s timing,” Ellis said. “One thing he’s got going for him is he’s got 96-, 97-[mph fastballs] in the tank. Hitters have to respect that, no matter what the count is. When he executes a good slider, especially with the velocity difference, it’s tough for hitters to get to on time. When he’s able to execute the pitch and throw it in the zone, especially to get back in counts, it opens the entire playbook for him.”
Said Mattingly: “I don’t know if the pitch has gotten somuch better. It’s that he’s using it.… As a hitter, it at least makes you think about it.”
Urena’s 3.43 ERA is the best of any Marlins starter, and his 1.22 WHIP is second behind Dan Straily (1.09).
“What I’ve seen this year is him evolving and become more of a pitcher,”
“One thing he’s got going for him is he’s got 96-, 97-[mph fastballs] in the tank. Hitters have to respect that, no matter what the count is.” catcher A.J. Ellis
Ellis said.
Urena’s five innings were the bare minimum the Marlins needed from their starting pitcher, given the workload the bullpen has handled in recent days, as Miami starters failed to finish three innings in two of the past three games.
Urena went long enough for Mattingly to line his relievers up perfectly, with Drew Steckenrider, Kyle Barraclough, David Phelps and AJ Ramos each contributing a scoreless inning.
The Marlins put the leadoff batter on in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings, but didn’t score until the sixth against St. Louis righty Lance Lynn(5
1⁄3 innings, four runs, two earned). Yelich launched a two-run home run the other way to left-center to give the Marlins their first lead of the series, and JT Riddle came through with a two-run single to right to pad it.
Yelich’s long ball was his first since June 2, a span of 125 plate appearances. It was also his eighth of the year, one more than he hit in the first half of 2016.
“It’s been a while. It’s been a long time,” Yelich said. “I’ve kind of been grinding through some stuff, trying to get it back. It’s been nice. Felt good.”