Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Offensive struggles on full display again
Lopez gets off to encouraging start in shutout loss
MIAMI — Navigating his way through the batting order to begin each game, Pablo Lopez hasn’t experienced much resistance.
Through the first four games, the right-hander has held opponents to a .154 (5 for 35) batting average with no runs scored the first time around.
It’s the second time Lopez runs through the order, however, when he runs intro trouble.
On Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs, that trend continued. After retiring eight of the first nine batters, Lopez struggled the second time through as the Miami Marlins fell to Chicago, 4-0.
Cubs batters reached base four times the second time through the order as they were able to ding Lopez for two earned runs in the third and fourth innings.
The Marlins nearly tied the game in the eighth inning, but came up just short on Jorge Alfaro’s blast to
left-center. Trailing, 3-0, with two runners on, the catcher hammered Brandon Kintzler fastball 381 feet — 105.4 mph — off the bat, but it was caught on the warning track to end the inning.
Lopez lasted five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with one walk and one hit by pitch. Lopez also struck out six on 86 pitches.
For the season, opponents are hitting .382 (13 for 34) against Lopez the second time through the lineup.
Marlins outfielder Isaac Galloway, who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans Tuesday afternoon, made a
strong impression in his season debut. Starting in right field, the 29 year old contributed two stellar defensive plays.
With Cubs infielder Daniel Descalo attempting to tag from second base, Galloway launched an incredible throw to nail him at third. Galloway’s outfield assist carried 294 feet at a speed of 91.4 mph, per Statcast.
Later in the seventh inning, Galloway tracked down a Kris Bryant deep blast to center, saving a run to end the frame. At the plate, Galloway went 1 for 4.