Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Special day
The Marlins’ breast cancer awareness day has special meaning.
MIAMI – Like every other Marlins player on Sunday afternoon, right-handed reliever Nick Wittgren wore a pink hat and pink cleats on Mother’s Day. But the day, and the breast cancer awareness it brings, means something different to Wittgren.
Wittgren’s mother Lisa has beat cancer twice — first cervical, then breast — and he also lost his grandmother to lung cancer after she beat breast cancer.
So donning the pink and spending time with Mayra Lima, a breast cancer survivor and the Marlins’ honorary bat girl Sunday, was meaningful to the 26-year-old.
Wittgren spent time pregame with Lima, catching her ceremonial first pitch and helping present a $10,000 check to the University of Miami’s Sylvester Cancer Comprehensive Center.
“It’s kind of a big deal,” Wittgren said.
In years past, Wittgren framed and signed his pink cleats, hat and jersey and presented them to his mom as a gift at the end of the season. He said she typically attends a few series a season once her school year as a fourth-grade teacher in Indiana ends.
Around the time Wittgren graduated from high school and attended Purude, he said his mother was declared cancer-free. Doctors detected the cancer early and Lisa underwent a double mastectomy.
“She was able to get it taken care of, done,” Wittgren said. “And luckily able to be around still. She also beat cervical cancer. It’s been a tough road for her. … She’s been through a lot.” …
■ Outfielder Brian Anderson and infielder Miguel Rojas each left Sunday’s 4-3 loss in the top of the eighth inning as precautions. Anderson was dealing with a bruised right middle-finger. Rojas was hit by a pitch on his left wrist. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said both players’ x-rays were negative.
“I think both of those guys are a matter of getting the pain out of there, getting the swelling out of there,” Mattingly said.
Anderson said he would be ready to play Tuesday against the Dodgers, while Rojas said he would take today’s day off as an opportunity to heal.
“Right now, I couldn’t play,” Rojas said. “I’m not going to be able to have another at-bat. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can ice it and take it on myself and Tuesday come back here and be ready to play.” ...
■ Marlins left fielder Derek Dietrich took some extra flyballs Sunday morning, the day after a gaffe in the ninth inning led to three Atlanta runs. Dietrich couldn’t corral Charlie Culberson’s routine flyball, allowing a run to score and extending the inning. The next batter, Ender Inciarte, hammered a two-run home run off Tyler Cloyd.
“It’s hard to complain about guys that work hard,” Mattingly said. “It’s not necessarily a natural position for him. You do feel like he’s doing the best he can. The ball last night, he gets a tough read on that ball. In general, I think he’s been OK out there.”
Dietrich was drafted as an infielder in 2010, and didn’t play outfield until 2015 with the Marlins. In the major leagues, he’s played 189 games at second base, 143 at third, 91 in left and 34 at first.
Both corner outfielders for the Marlins are converted infielders.
Brian Anderson was moved to right field from third base.
“Where we’re at right now, I think Deets is doing the best he can,” Mattingly said. “He works every day. There’s a value in what he can do as far as left field, third [base], second, first.” ...
■ For the second time this season, Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto hit third in the lineup on Sunday. Realmuto has mostly been used as Miami’s leadoff hitter, but Mattingly has talked about how he’d like to put Realmuto in more situations with runners on base.
“I think he’s one of our better hitters. I’d like him getting the extra at-bat but you’d also like to get some guys on base in front of him.”
For the first time this season, second baseman Starlin Castro was bumped from his No. 3 spot. Castro hit cleanup.
“Guys that can hit, they just hit,” Mattingly said. “Where you put them, it doesn’t really matter.”