Marlins Send Jose Urena to Mound To Face Reds

The Miami Marlins hope to get another stellar performance out of veteran pitcher Jose Urena when he faces the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena may not have started his 2018 campaign in stellar fashion, but the veteran pitcher is closing it out as one to remember. With four wins in a row, can Urena win the Marlins second game in a row and take a 2-1 lead in the last home series of the season against the Cincinnati Reds?

The Marlins have gotten Urena’s best on the mound when they needed it the most. A little over a month ago, we were talking about his inconsistency on the bump, his wild pitches, and hitter batters.

Now, fans and the organization hope he mows down Reds batters en route to claiming a spot in next season’s rotation and staking claim to being Miami’s ace next season.

More from Marlins News

• Miami Marlins news: Another target gone
• Why didn’t the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
• Miami Marlins rejected Boston‘s trade offer
• Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
• Miami Marlins need to spend to win

Per MLB.com, Urena leads the Marlins in innings pitched at 162 1/3 and starts with 29. He is as close to a workhorse as this rotation and staff have. He is 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last seven starts. Most of all, when injuries to Pablo Lopez and Dan Straily put them on the shelf, Urena became the leader the pitching staff needed him to be.

Cincinnati counters with Anthony DeSclafani who is 7-6 with 4.92 ERA this season.

Here are a few things to consider…

• The Marlins have two games remaining in their home schedule. There are nine games remaining in the 2018 season.
• The Marlins are now 60-93 with nine games remaining. The team would need to win three of their last nine to avoid 100 losses for the season.

The second half of the 2018 season has been better for Urena who has posted a 5-3 record with a 3.86 ERA in 10 starts. On the road this season, he is 2-9 with a 4.20 ERA.

If there is incentive to going out and winning tonight, veteran pitcher Wei-Yin Chen had the best outing of his season last night against the Reds. Chen pitched a masterpiece, striking out eight batters over seven scoreless innings.

The path Urena took to this point is one of great persistence. A minor league prospect who spent time between the Major Leagues and Triple-A New Orleans in 2016, he was out of options heading into Training Camp in 2017. He had to make the Opening Day roster or possibly be released and signed with another team.

Urena made the team as a long reliever and then moved into the rotation because of injuries. He led Miami with 14 wins in 2017 and then was the Opening Day starter this season against the Chicago Cubs.