Jose Urena Came Up Big- Did Marlins Just Come Up Short?

If I’d told you on Sunday that Jose Urena would have had the best game of the three starters Marlins starters to take the mound so far in Philadelphia, a run of three starters that included Jose Fernandez, you’d have said I was crazy.

But after allowing just a single run in nearly six innings of work, that’s exactly where we stand on Thursday as we wait to see what kind of contribution Tom Koehler makes in this evening’s series finale. It was a huge start, a lift to the team, and even if he didn’t earn a decision, it played a huge role in Tuesday night’s victory.

The question is whether, big picture wise, the Marlins just suffered a major loss.

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As we all know, the team is in need of another starting pitcher. One who can either offer a significant talent upgrade, or at the very least reliably eat up innings. The front office has been long rumored to be turning over every stone to get a deal done, and exploring a variety of creative options to make up for the fact that the franchise isn’t exactly flush with top flight prospects. Typically those ideas have been purported to involve taking on salary- a move this club has historically shied away from, but certainly has the financial flexibility to do should it so choose.

My concern is whether or not a single successful start prompts the front office to reconsider making a move, deciding that there is an internal solution after all.

Urena can absolutely put some zip on the ball, and he absolutely frustrated Philadelphia the entire night. But it’s also worth noting that only a single team all of MLB- Atlanta- has scored fewer runs, and only two clubs- Atlanta and the Mets- have a lower batting average than the Phillies. Twas not exactly Murderer’s Row he was facing. Not that the Marlins couldn’t use a guy who can pitch effectively against the bottom of the NL East, but it’s hardly a start worth overreacting to.

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There is some cause for optimism that he could be effective, despite that 7.00 plus ERA he brought with him into Tuesday’s start. In his MLB career as a starter, he’s made ten appearances and only surrendered more than 3 runs in three of those starts. A stark contrast with the relief numbers we all grew to know and love from the end of 2015 onwards. That’s not terrible production from the five spot.

However, the Marlins need to aim higher to make a real run at the postseason this season, and land a pitcher who’d effectively bump Tom Koehler down a slot, if not a largely disappointing Wei-Yin Chen as well.

That being said, the odds are that Urena will regress towards his complete career numbers- numbers that aren’t much better than any of the other also rans that have been trotted out. Hopefully, the front office clearly sees this, and will continue to work the phones and work out a solution. What it comes down to really, is trust. Do you trust this organization to make the necessary sacrifice- which will almost certainly involve a significant uptick in payroll-to help out a team that has more than earned an assist? Or do you expect them to hold off, having just received some justification for doing so?

Only time will tell. And while the success of this season’s team has restored some of my faith, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bit worried with what I saw on Tuesday.

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