Patient Marlins chip away, defeat Dodgers
Hampered by injuries, big-payroll L.A. loses fifth straight
MIAMI — No avoiding the issue, this Marlins season is about growing pains.
With that comes a requisite helping of patience.
Manager Don Mattingly acknowledged that Tuesday prior to a series-opening 4-2 win against the struggling Dodgers (losers of five straight) when he explained how much leeway the club is willing to give struggling rookie center fielder Lewis Brinson.
“I think you do get a little rope. We knew we’re in a building situation. We need to find out what Lewis can do,” Mattingly said, adding that there was similar benefit in early season auditions by young pitchers Trevor Richards and Dillon Peters, both now back in the minors. “You want to find out what these guys can do.
“We play to win every night, 100 percent — everybody knows that and our guys are competing. There are also things that you show patience in different areas in that you’re trying to figure things out. You’re trying to build
something also.”
A good example of the effort, and an example for the team Miami is trying to develop, was exhibited by veteran third baseman Martin Prado in dashing across the diamond in the fifth inning for a diving catch of a popped up sacrifice attempt. Prado, 34, was at full gallop when Alex Wood squared to bunt.
It was a Derek Jeter-like play and it was vital in preserving a 2-0 lead that inning when the Dodgers put two runners on and chased starter Wei-Yin Chen.
Prado, who also had two hits while batting leadoff for the first time this season, and J.T. Realmuto, who had a key two-out RBI double in the seventh, showed how to play.
Meanwhile Brinson is finding his way. Slowly.
The centerpiece in the Christian Yelich trade with Milwaukee came into the game batting .172/.224/.299. He had hits in five of the previous six games, and Mattingly offered that, “I see more competitive atbats” lately in which Brinson has worked deeper into counts and done a better job of driving pitches on the outer half of the plate to the opposite field.
Brinson did the latter in his first time up Tuesday, punching Wood’s changeup to right-center for a hit.
Next time up he struck out, fooled by a knucklecurve down and in. He left in a double-switch in the fifth inning.
“Lewis is a little different situation,” Mattingly said. “He’s kind of holding his own, especially defensively. Offensively, we’re hoping that gets better.
“In our situation, at least right now, we’re showing patience.”
Such is life in baseball’s Petri dish, also known as rebuilding.
The Marlins’ situation is in sharp contrast to the mystifying Dodgers. The defending National League champs, with a payroll of $187.3 million — about double Miami’s — arrived on a four-game losing streak at 16-24, two more wins than the Marlins.
Injuries have been a factor in Dodgers’ struggles, including ace Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list. They got a much-needed component back Tuesday when third baseman Justin Turner made his season debut in his return from a broken left wrist.
Turner came up with two runners in scoring position in the fifth, facing reliever Nick Wittgren, and hit a liner right at Prado to end the inning.
Wittgren came on in relief of Chen to get the final two outs of that inning and also work a 1-2-3 sixth.
Chen, who gave up 13 runs in his previous two starts, was much better this time in 4 1⁄3 scoreless innings, though he left with a 2-0 lead without sticking around long enough to qualify for the win.
But with runs tough to come by, as usual for Miami, Mattingly made the wise move to lift Chen, who had thrown 83 pitches and was beginning the third turn through the L.A. order.
Chen had given up five home runs in those losses at Cincinnati and Chicago, but was more comfortable in the spacious confines of Marlins Park.
A 382-foot out to rightcenter by Turner would have been a two-run homer in Chen’s previous start last week at Wrigley Field.
The Dodgers cut Miami’s lead in half with a 400-foot homer by Yasiel Puig to left off Tayron Guerrero in the seventh.
The Marlins had 12 hits, but none for extra bases until Yadiel Rivera hit a pinch double leading off the seventh. They had multiple runners on base in five of the first six innings, but managed to squeeze out only two runs on an error and a sacrifice fly.
They were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before J.T. Realmuto’s twoout double drove in Rivera for a 3-1 lead. Brian Anderson added another runscoring hit in the inning.
Sometimes patience pays off, combined with a bit of veteran moxy.