Miami Marlins: Making the best of a loss to the Braves

The Miami Marlins may have lost 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night, but they once again saw their prospects shine at Marlins Park.

I don’t subscribe to the theory there are such things as good losses, but if it exists, then the Miami Marlins suffered one Saturday night at the hands of the Atlanta Braves,

The 2-1 defeat did not help this rising ball club in the win-loss column however it did give the front office and coaching staff another view of the future. Daniel Castano was masterful in his second outing in the Majors, proving the Marlins’ wealth of pitching runs very deep. Outfielder Monte Harrison displayed power, scoring the only run for the team off of a home run he hit.

"As Joe Frisaro wrote, “The clubs have split the first two games of the series, with the finale set for Sunday afternoon. The final score may not have gone Miami’s way, but the game was a step forward for a few of its prospects.”"

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And, if anyone was concerned, the Miami Marlins are still in first place in the National League East. They get back at it once again at 1:10 PM today in the finale as Elieser Hernandez tries to get that elusive first victory of the 2020 season.

"“It was just a good game. We got a well-pitched game,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after the game via MLB.com. “I think we take that kind of outing from [Castano], feeling that you’re going to be able to find a way to score. You give up one run through eight, you feel kind of good that you’re going to have some kind of lead going into the later innings.”"

The Marlins have shown they can get the ball effectively, come from behind to wins games, and have counted on their young pitching staff to carry the load while players who are on the I.L. are on the mend.

Castano, who is another player Derek Jeter acquired through trade in his tenure as CEO of the organization, had everything moving in the right direction Saturday evening. In December of 2017, the Cardinals traded Sandy Alcantara, Magneuris Sierra, Zac Gallen, and Castano, to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna.

Ozuna is now a member of the Braves, while Alcantara, who is on the I.L. dealing with issues from the Coronavirus, is the team’s top pitcher. Sierra has been a nice surprise on the Miami Marlins’ roster this season. Gallen was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Jazz Chisholm.

Castano showed he can be a valuable pitcher in the rotation. Where he fits in the Marlins future plans isn’t known, but he gives manager Don Mattingly options this season.

Harrison, who is the team’s No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been stuck in neutral at the plate since joining the team’s parent club. Saturday night could have been the push he has needed to get back in a rhythm at the plate.

"“We didn’t win the game,” Harrison said. “I’d rather go out there and line out and have the next two guys behind me hit home runs, and we win the game. I would have been perfectly fine. As long as we win games, I don’t care about it. I want to make the playoffs. I want to show people that this team can actually play and we can compete. We’re going to go out there tomorrow and hopefully get a W.”"