Miami Marlins Injury updates and roster moves, again

One of the biggest stopgap pitchers on the Miami Marlins roster is going to the Injured List.  On July 4th, the Miami Marlins placed relief pitcher Andrew Nardi on the IL and recalled George Soriano from AAA Jacksonville.   Nardi was placed on the IL with triceps inflammation, per Craig Mish reporting.  

Andrew Nardi is a huge loss to the roster and one that will be felt for as long as he is out, as he was used many times in stopgap situations.  The Marlins left-handed relief pitcher has a total of 41 appearances this season so far and he is usually one of the first out of the bullpen. Over 36.2 innings pitched Nardi has compiled a 3.19 ERA and 1.118 WHIP while striking out 48 batters.

Nardi has been very efficient this year which is why he is used often to stop rallies. His 40 percent gound ball rate, teamed with his 32.2 strikeout percentage had held teams in check when he comes into the game. Nardi has dominated left-handed batters, holding them to a .167 average and was especially effective in June. Nardi held all batters to a .158 batting average while holding a 1.69 ERA and striking out 18 batters in 10.2 innings.

George Soriano will be a decent replacement however, as he has a 1.98 ERA over 13.2 innings pitched this season with Miami. Soriano adds some length to the bullpen, which is much needed this season with starters not typically going more than six innings. He has averaged close to three innings per relief appearance, most recently going 3.2 scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves on July 1st.

Nardi's injury could be a result of overuse as the Marlins bullpen has been crushed this season due to Marlins starting pitching not going deep into games. Other than Sandy Alcantara's long starts, all other starters are going five or six innings and Kim Ng needs to address that issue going into the second half of the season, and look at adding a starter who can give some added length to starts to give the bullpen relief, especially with Eury Perez' impending shut down. As a final note, Craig Mish also reported that Jazz' MRI was mild and the Marlins did not grade it yet but it looks like he will be out for the month.