Prado helps Chen make winning return to mound
MIAMI – The night was a celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, and a spirited throng created a lively rhythm section with the island beat near right field at Marlins Park.
The Marlins turned Saturday into a multicultural night with Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen making his first major league start in nearly a year.
But it was Venezuelan native Martin Prado, in his second game back from various leg ailments, who stood out in signaling his return as a prime-time player.
Prado had two hits, drove in two runs and prevented another with one of several sparking plays at third base in support of Chen in a 4-1 win against the Rockies.
Chen left with a 3-1 lead in the sixth and the bullpen ensured he recorded his first win since April 18, 2017, with 3 2⁄3 scoreless innings, including Kyle Barraclough’s second career save with three strikeouts in the ninth.
Derek Dietrich contributed two RBI to the cause, including his third homer of the season off former Marlins reliever Mike Dunn.
Prado’s first hit of the season was a twoout RBI double to the right-field corner in the third for a 2-0 Miami lead. He had already driven in the first run by hitting into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.
More impressive was the fielding clinic he put on, including a barehanded pick-up and throw on the run to get Ian Desmond on a close play to end the third inning and prevent
a runner on third from scoring.
Prado injured his right knee making a similar play last July and had surgery soon after to repair torn meniscus.
He showed mobility of the past in making back-toback gems the previous inning, spearing Chris Iannetta’s smash near the third-base line that would have gone for extra bases, then moving to his left to turn Geraldo Parra’s bouncer into another out.
Chen blanked the Rockies on one hit for five innings before Charlie Blackmon led off the sixth with a long homer to right. Two more hits in the inning ended Chen’s night after 68 pitches.
He left with one out and runners on the corners. Nick Wittgren came on and stranded the runners.
The main concern with Chen has pertained to health during his time in Miami. He’s had his moments for the Marlins before, such as the seven hitless innings he tossed in Seattle for his previous win. But after holding the Rays to two runs in six innings on May 1 he was back on the disabled list.
He would return for four relief appearances in September, and since then has been working on a program to strengthen an elbow that has a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament.
Saturday was an encouraging first step back for the highest-paid player on the club (including a deferred bonus).
Chen bounded across the third-base line and quickly got down to business, striking out Blackmon after throwing his first pitch in the dirt.
He hit Desmond, who proceeded to steal second. But he advanced no further as Chen struck out Nolan Arenado with a 91-mph fastball up in the zone and on the outside corner, then set down Trevor Story on three pitches, painting the outer edge with a fourseamer for his third strikeout.
The lefty threw 15 pitches in the inning, 12 for strikes.
Although the Marlins gave Chen a lead in the bottom of the first on Prado’s grounder, they were set up for a bigger splash after loading the bases with one out. JB Shuck followed Prado with a liner to center that hung up long enough for Blackmon to run it down.
Chen faced his first bit of trouble in the third when Pat Valaika led off with the double to the corner in left. Prado’s play on Desmond ended that threat.
The next inning Chen seemed to be wavering when he walked two batters, but he got Parra to hit into an inning-ending double play.