Marlins Pitcher Jose Urena Expected to Make Last Start on Friday

The Miami Marlins have announced that pitcher Jose Urena is expected to make his final start of the season on Friday against the New York Mets

Miami Marlins starter Jose Urena has had a roller coaster of a season that started out nightmarish and has come to an end as a dream sequence. The 27-year-old right-hander is expected to make his final start of the season on Friday when the Marlins face the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Urena opened the season as the team’s No. 1 starter but looked anything but an ace the first half of the season. While he did not pitch as poorly as his record would indicate, he has worked to get himself to where he is now, which is 8-12 and a winner of five of his last six outings.

He has also become an innings eater for this franchise and should anchor a youthful rotation next season.

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Per Ian Quillen of MLB.com, “Urena pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday before being lifted with muscle tightness in his right thigh. With an extra day’s rest before the Marlins open their last series of the season on Friday at the Mets, [Don] Mattingly didn’t expect any lasting issues.”

The start before, he dealt with cramping in his pitching hand which team officials feared might end his season and send him to the disabled list for the second time this year.

Since August 15, he has steadily lowered his ERA, which now rests at 4.07.

A lack of run support from his teammates has proved costly as he hit the lower watermark of 3-12 with a 4.74 ERA at one point this season.

As of now, the Marlins are anticipating Urena making the start and then shutting it down for the rest of the 2018 season.

“He ran yesterday,” Mattingly said of Urena on Monday. “He looks like he’s going to be fine. He’s a pretty heavy workout guy. We’re trying to lighten him up this week, make sure he felt fine doing everything. As of right now, he’s going to start his game. He’s getting an extra day anyway. I think he’ll start.”

Urena could become the oldest pitcher in the rotation next season and has put himself in position for his first season of arbitration eligibility.

Last season, after starting the year as a reliever, he was moved to the starter’s role due to injuries and lack of consistency on the bump.

He led the Marlins with 14 victories and was named the Opening Day starter against the Chicago Cubs this season.