Jose Fernandez Baffles the Braves (Grades)

No big deal, just another routine night for “The Kid” as he struck out 14 batters en route to a 1-0 victory. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN’s Jayson Stark decided to run an article about, in simpler terms, how awesome Jose Fernandez is, as both a pitcher and a teammate.  It was released due to his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves tonight and oh god, what a night it was for Fernandez. In a pitching performance that can only be described as masterful, Jose Fernandez struck out 14 Braves hitters over 8 innings while giving up 3 hits, no walks, and no runs. His opponent, Alex Wood was also spectacular striking out 11 batters over 8 innings, however he gave up the lone run in the tension filled 1-0 victory for the Miami Marlins. Giancarlo Stanton doubled in the fourth and Casey McGehee was able to single Stanton home by beating the defensive shift the Braves brought on him. That was it for the offense on both sides as both pitchers pitched extremely well, but the night belonged to Fernandez. So without further ado, here are the grades for tonight’s game.

Grades:

Marlins Offense- C

A night to forget for the Marlins offense, but they earn the passing grade because they were able to do just enough to get the win for Fernandez. Limited to only one run, the offense was shut down by the Braves pitching staff. Alex Wood and David Carpenter combined for 13 strikeouts (One less than Jose for the night) and held the Marlins in check for the most part. However, sometimes an offense can take a backseat to some great pitching and they more than got that.

Steve Cishek – A

It was unfortunate that Fernandez wasn’t able to complete the game but Cishek came in and pitched a perfect ninth inning against a demoralized Braves offense. Cishek first got Heyward to ground to first, BJ Upton to ground out to second, and then struck out Freddie Freeman to cap off an excellent night for pitching. Cishek closed the game in the best way possible and sealed the victory for both Fernandez and the Marlins.

Jose Fernandez- A+ (It should be an A++)

I’ve already praised Fernandez enough so I’ll just say a few things to finish this up. Fernandez got his first hit of the 2014 season with a small 90 ft. dribbler down the third base line in the top of the fifth. Fernandez had only one inning that went past 20 pitches and that was his last inning. Fernandez turned water into wine and walked across water. Ok the last two weren’t true but I would have believed he did that after tonight.

All in all it was a great night for the team as the Marlins finally won a game on the road and evened the series with the hated Atlanta Braves.

Till next time, Go Marlins!