Five Lessons Learned in Miami Marlins 5-5 Tie

The Miami Marlins didn’t win on Friday night against the Washington Nationals, but they didn’t lose either.

Isaac Galloway hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at five, off former Marlin Kyle Barraclough no less, but extra innings aren’t really necessary in Spring Training. The Miami Marlins are now 15-11-1 with two games remaining until the preseason ends.

Miami Marlins starter Dan Straily doesn’t really have it yet, but as this is the spring, his goals are different from what we are familiar with. Max Scherzer, on the other hand, struck out 12 Marlins over seven innings of work. He didn’t walk anyone, but did surrender three runs on 10 hits. He left as the probable winning pitcher of record.

Here’s five points from Friday’s tie.

Jones Was a Little Too Excited

Thomas Jones got into the first major league Spring Training game of his career as a pinch runner. After coming over from the minor league camp, the Miami Marlins used Jones as a pinch runner for Pedro Alvarez on first base with one out in the ninth inning.

After a Yadiel Rivera strikeout, Jon Berti singled into left field. Jones bit off more than he could chew trying to stretch to third base, and got thrown out from left field. The next batter, Galloway, knocked it over the fence to tie it at five. It could have easily been a walkoff if Jones had held his ground.

Jones, the organization’s 20th ranked prospect, was the Miami Marlins third round pick back in 2016, and he’s still just 21-years-old. Look for him to take a bigger role next Spring Training.

Galloway, Walker Go Deep

Neil Walker is hitting just .216 this spring after going one-for-three today, but he clobbered one off Scherzer for a pair of runs in the fifth inning. It was his fourth round-tripper of the season.

As for Isaac Galloway, the 29-year-old would-be rookie, his game-tying shot brought his spring average up to .333. He now has two doubles, two triples, the homer, four RBI, and a pair of stolen bases in two tries. He’s considered a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, but could get a callup before too long.

Cooper & Castro Collected Multiple Hits

Starlin Castro entered this game just seven-for-39 this spring, a .179 average. After going three-for-three today, he raised it 59 points to .238. Castro also collected an RBI.

Cooper, by contrast, entered today’s game hitting .400 through Spring Training, going 14-for-35 with six RBI. After a two-for-three day, he raised it to .421. Cooper is going to make it much harder for the Miami Marlins to make a decision as to who stays and who goes.

Brice Seems to be on the Inside Track

After entering camp as a comparative long shot, Austin Brice pitched a perfect inning in today’s contest. His spring ERA sits at 1.23, and he’s now projected to break camp with the Miami Marlins. His Baseball Reference projections have him yielding a 1.298 WHIP over 47 innings with the parent club this season.

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Rotation Watch

Straily was by no means showing off his best stuff today, and wasn’t trying to impress anybody. That being said, his stuff was good enough at least to lock down one of the five starting spots in the Opening Day rotation. By my count, the rotation should be:

1. José Ureña
2. Trevor Richards
3. Pablo Lopez
4. Caleb Smith
5. Dan Straily

Sandy Alcantara should work out his control issues with the New Orleans Baby Cakes for a month or two, and in the meantime, the Miami Marlins should aggressively shop Straily. Wei-Yin Chen should be relegated to the bullpen, if they elect to keep him on the active roster at all.

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