Miami Marlins: Grading the Fish in Atlanta

Wei-Yin Chen +.059

Wei-Yin Chen started the series finale, and looked a lot better than he had in his previous four starts. It’s hard to fathom, but Chen has only won eight games for the Miami Marlins, three seasons into his six-year, $96MM contract. He’s earned approximately $31MM of it, or a yield of $3,875,000 per win. But I digress.

Chen worked a 1-2-3 first inning, striking out Ozzie Albies (+.022) and Freddie Freeman (+.011). He allowed a walk in the second, to Tyler Flowers (-.026), but that was sandwiched between a groundout, a flyout, and a fielders’ choice. He struck out Dansby Swanson (+.025) in a 1-2-3 third inning.

With a 6-0 lead, Chen struck out Ronald Acuna (+.010) to open the fourth. After a Freeman single (-.011), he got Nick Markakis and Flowers to flyout. He opened the fifth with a K as well, to Ender Inciarte (+.009) as part of another 1-2-3 frame.

Chen ran into a spot of trouble in the sixth. He got Charlie Culberson to fly out (+.008), then allowed four straight singles to Albies (-.009), Acuna (-.015), Freeman (-.034), and Markakis (-.054). Nick Wittgren was then called to bail him out.

Chen also grounded out to open the third (-.025), struck out in the fourth (-.004), and struck out again to lead off the sixth (-.002).

Grade: B+