MIAMI — There was a well-recognized face again atop the Marlins’ lineup for the sequence finale in opposition to the Nationals on Sunday. Second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the Majors in batting common (.350), made his first begin hitting leadoff since Aug. 6 in Texas.
Arraez’s expertise getting on base, mixed with Jorge Soler’s energy within the No. 2 slot and a well-spun bullpen sport from the aid corps, powered Miami to a 2-1 win over Washington at loanDepot park because the Marlins prevented the sweep to maneuver again above .500 (66-65).
The Marlins are effectively conscious they’re within the thick of a good race for a National League Wild Card spot. Miami sits three video games behind Arizona (69-62) for the third spot, 1 1/2 video games behind Cincinnati (68-64) and one sport behind San Francisco (66-63), with the Giants in motion on Sunday night time.
If a tiebreaker is required to find out a Wild Card spot, it first goes to head-to-head matchups, then to divisional data. The Marlins received their season sequence over the D-backs (4-2) and cut up their sequence with the Reds (3-3) and the Giants (3-3).
As Miami heads into an off-day on Monday earlier than internet hosting Tampa Bay for 2 video games, listed here are some takeaways from the finale vs. Washington.
Will the Marlins persist with Arraez up high?
The leadoff spot has been a malleable place for the Marlins this season. Manager Skip Schumaker likes Arraez on the high — it’s the place Arraez does his greatest work, getting on base and establishing Miami’s energy bats for RBIs — however he additionally likes to make use of the No. 1 spot as a software to get his hitters again in a groove.
That’s why Arraez was pulled from leadoff earlier this month — to get Soler again swinging. It’s additionally why Jazz Chisholm Jr. has seen a while atop the order over the previous few video games. But whereas Arraez has been adamant he’s glad to hit wherever the Marlins need him, his bat additionally has quieted to some extent within the second half.
“It feels like [Soler’s] back, obviously, and so to maybe kick-start that, I think you’ll see Soli at the top of the order again,” Schumaker mentioned. “But talking with Luis and trying to jump-start him again — he feels good somewhere in the top of the order. He’s always said, ‘I’ll hit wherever you put me,’ but he’s been really successful at the top of the lineup. … We were really good when he was leading off.”
“So amazing,” Arraez mentioned. “I missed my spot there. But this is baseball, you know? So [Skip] just tried to put me in second, third, and then let’s see if we got more RBIs. But I’m happy we won today, and then I hope we continue to win.”
The bullpen is the place it’s at
Without Bryan Hoeing’s key four-plus aid innings, the Marlins won’t have received. But the affect of the remainder of the bullpen on Sunday can’t be overstated. Between JT Chargois’ scoreless opening inning (he allowed only one hit and struck out one) and a quartet of relievers coming via behind Hoeing to maintain the Nationals off the board — regardless of Washington threatening within the high of the ninth — the Marlins’ bullpen confirmed simply how dominant it may be.
Steven Okert, A.J. Puk, Andrew Nardi and Tanner Scott — who probably will get extra alternatives to shut video games — helped shut the door on the Nats. When Scott allowed a pair of hits with one out within the ninth, it appeared Washington may need an opportunity to eke out a win. But the left-hander induced a game-ending 5-4-3 double play to seal the deal.
“I think you’ll probably see Tanner there in the ninth inning [a lot],” Schumaker mentioned. “It’s not like you’re not going to see [David] Robertson anymore — I don’t want you to think that. We still have a lot of confidence in him.”
“It’s clear that we’re in a playoff race right now,” Hoeing mentioned. “So to have all the bullpen guys throwing well right now is huge coming into this last month of the season. … I think today being a bullpen day just shows how deep our bullpen is and how effective every guy that comes in there is.”
Room to enhance vs. starters
The massive message from the primary two video games of the sequence was that the Marlins wanted to assault opponents’ starters extra successfully. While Soler did simply that, hitting his thirty fifth lengthy ball and MLB-leading nineteenth go-ahead homer of the season off Trevor Williams within the third inning, it nearly wasn’t sufficient.
“Obviously, the home run was huge,” Schumaker mentioned. “[But] we have to score more runs so it’s not one-run games. Because we’re playing with fire in the ninth inning. And as good as we’ve been in one-run games, we can’t keep doing that.”
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