Four Takeaways From the Miami Marlins Loss to Houston

Game six of Spring Training would see the Miami Marlins fall behind, valiantly battle back, then fall two runs short.

Of course, wins and losses don’t count very much at this time of the season. The only two things that matter for the Miami Marlins are:

Get the regulars ready for major league-live action, and
Fill the rest of the roster with utility players that will give the Miami Marlins the best chance to win, day-to-day.

The Marlins fell behind early, 3-0, then traded runs back-and-forth before entering the seventh, trailing the Houston Astros, 7-3. They then fought back for two in the top of the ninth, but fell short of victory. Here’s four things you can take to the bank.

MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 22: Third baseman Brian Anderson #15 of the Miami Marlins hits an RBI double in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park on September 22, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Skipper/Getty Images)

Brian Anderson Ready on Both Sides of the Ball

Two games ago, Brian Anderson made three great plays in one inning to help defeat the Houston Astros, 3-0. Today, he showed he’s ready on the other side of the ball as well, hitting a home run well beyond the fence in left field. Thus far this spring, he’s now three-for-10 with the homer, four RBI, and a stolen base.

Brett Graves Settled Down

Brett Graves surrendered five runs on eight hits over just 2/3 of an inning in his last appearance, the 11-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Spring Training opener. Today, Graves came in to pitch the seventh, and pitched a perfect inning, inducing ground-ball outs from Jake Marisnick, Taylor Jones, and Max Stassi. Let’s hope that first one was just a small case of the yips.

Miguel Rojas is Still Carrying the Stick

Infield defensive wizard Miguel Rojas showed he’s also still halfway decent with the splinter today. He hit a leadoff single in the third inning, then added another single with Austin Dean on first base in the fifth. Rojas then was caught stealing, because nobody’s perfect. I’m 100 percent sure that Rojas will make the team out of Spring Training.

A Possibly Deeper Than Expected Bullpen

Drew Steckenrider pitched a hitless third inning, allowing only a walk. Tyler Kinley pitched the fourth, striking out two and allowing an unearned run. Mike Kickham put out a Jordan Holloway induced fire in the sixth inning, and Robert Dugger pitched a hitless, scoreless eighth, striking out a pair and walking one batter.

Thanks for reading today. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our daily email newsletter. Tomorrow, the Miami Marlins will host the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, starting at 1:05 P.M. EST. Trevor Richards will start for the Marlins, and Stephen Strasburg will pitch for Washington.