Gone Fishin’ 4/9/19: Miami Marlins Minor League Report

While the Miami Marlins were busy getting shellacked in Cincinnati, their farm system engaged in three contests, winning two.

The Cincinnati Reds absolutely teed off on the combination of José Ureña and Wei-Yin Chen for a total of 14 runs on Tuesday night. The Miami Marlins offense, meanwhile, was handcuffed by former Miami prospect Luis Castillo for for two hits in seven innings. In the meantime, there were other games than this, and hope for the future.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, in the double-A Southern League, took the day off. They entered the day as the only affiliate in the Miami Marlins system with a winning record, at 3-2. First, some housekeeping.

Transactions

The Baby Cakes placed RHP Jeff Brigham on the seven-day injured list. They also called up 1B Micah Brown from the Jupiter Hammerheads and RHP Kyle Keller from Jacksonville.

SS Gunnar Schubert was assigned to Jupiter, and LumberKings LHP Nestor Bautista was placed on the seven-day injured list.

New Orleans Baby Cakes 4, Iowa Cubs 3

Triple-A Pacific Coast League

With 8,401 at Principal Park for the Iowa Cubs home opener, the Baby Cakes spoiled their coming out party and ruined their four-game winning streak, earning a 4-3 victory. With the win, New Orleans climbs back to .500, at 3-3.

Austin Dean and Harold Ramirez collected a single and a double each, Bryan Holaday added a double as well, and Isan Diaz hit the other New Orleans single, as the Cakes outhit the Cubs, six-to-five. Elieser Hernandez struck out six and gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in five innings, earning no decision and putting 56-of-89 pitches in the strike zone. Mike Kickham earned the victory, pitching two innings and allowing only an unearned run. Jose Quijada earned a six-out save with two hitless innings of work, striking out four.

After spotting the Cubs a 1-0 first inning lead, Holaday doubled home Gabriel Guerrero to tie it in the second. Iowa scored again in the fifth, but New Orleans took the lead in the sixth with a run each on a Dean double and a Ramirez double. Iowa again tied it in the bottom of the inning, but Holaday crossed the plate in the seventh on a bases-loaded fielding error by the Cubs’ third baseman.

Jupiter Hammerheads 5, Florida Fire Frogs 2

Advanced-A Florida State League

Miami’s 2016 first round draft pick Braxton Garrett got his first start of 2019, and struck out six frogs in four innings. He did allow a solo homer, but not much else, getting 39-of-62 over the plate. Garrett had sat out the 2018 campaign after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, and has made only four previous professional starts. He was relieved by newly acquired Tyler Stevens, who whiffed five in two shutout innings. Alejandro Mateo whiffed three in two innings for a six-out save in front of 166 fans at Osceola County Stadium.

After going hitless for his first four games, and collecting one yesterday to start the year one-for-17, Victor Victor Mesa went three-for-five with an RBI to shake off the cobwebs. Mesa hadn’t appeared in live competitive baseball outside of two Spring Training games for nearly two years.

Mesa got the Sharks on the board first, with an RBI-single to score Cameron Baranek in the third inning. After Florida tied it in the fourth, James Nelson clobbered his first round-tripper of the season to left field, a two run shot that would be all the offense that Jupiter would need.

Florida brought one home in the seventh on a solo shot, but Nelson added an eighth-inning RBI-double and Nick Fortes scored him on a single shortly afterward.

Clinton LumberKings 0, Quad Cities River Bandits 2

Single-A Midwest League

Bubba Hollins collected a single and a double to push his average to .400 through six games, but the LumberKings couldn’t break through at Ashford University Field.

Chris Vallimont followed up his excellent first start (five innings, one hit, eight strikeouts) with a not-bad second. He lasted five innings and allowed the only two runs of the game on five hits and two walks, striking out three. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t bail him out.

Sean Guenther tossed three shutout innings and Steven Farnworth pitched a scoreless ninth. Also collecting hits for Clinton were Christopher Torres, Jerar Encarnacion, Sean Reynolds, and Michael Donadio.

More from Marlins Prospects

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• What’s wrong with Kahlil Watson?
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 2
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

Today’s Games

6PM: Edward Cabrera gets the ball in the Hammerheads series finale against the Fire Frogs.

7:30PM: Game three of a four game set between Clinton and Quad Cities will kick off with Josh Roberson in the box. He’ll try to maintain his 0.00 ERA and go to 2-0 for the season.

7:35PM: The Jumbo Shrimp will start a five-game series against the host Pensacola Blue Wahoos, also a 3-2 club. Jacksonville’s starter hasn’t been announced.

7:38PM: Zac Gallen will try to follow up his near-perfect seven-inning outing from Baby Cakes opening day in the second game of a three-game series in Iowa. Remember, Gallen lasted seven innings that day, allowing zero walks, runs, or hits while striking out 11. That may be unsustainable, but Gallen’s future remains bright.

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