MIAMI — For six innings on Monday, Trevor Rogers looked the best he has all season for the Miami Marlins.
But Miami couldn’t back his outing, dropping the first game of a split doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, 3-2. The Marlins are now 57-83 on the season, including 22-33 in one-run games.
The Rangers (61-79) took the lead in the top of the eighth when Steven Okert allowed four consecutive batters to reach base with two outs, as Mark Mathias’ bases-loaded walk brought Corey Seager home.
Monday’s loss stained Rogers’ impressive performance. It marked his third start since coming off the injured list Aug. 31 and arguably his best of the year.
His 6 1/3 innings was the deepest he has pitched in a game this season, and his nine strikeouts were a season-high. He gave up just four hits and walked two batters and cruised before getting into trouble in the seventh. Rogers gave up a double to Adolis Garcia, walked Mathias on a full count and allowed an RBI double to Josh Jung over consecutive one-out plate appearances to end his outing.
While it was an undeniably efficient showing from Rogers, heroics from the Marlins defense certainly aided his statline.
One highlight came from third baseman Brian Anderson, who played a role in all three outs in the top of the sixth. He was responsible for a leadoff groundout and initiated a double play. Sam Huff’s RBI groundout against Tommy Nance in the seventh tied the game but could have led to more if not for shortstop Miguel Rojas making a sliding grab to stop the ball from going into the outfield.
Miami opened scoring in the fifth inning, when Rojas scored on a Lewin Diaz sacrifice fly after reaching base when Rangers starting pitcher Glenn Otto hit him in the stomach to lead off the inning before moving to second on a failed pickoff attempt that hit Rojas on the shoulder and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
A Jon Berti RBI single then scored Jacob Stallings, who walked, to put Miami up 2-0.
The last time Miami and Texas faced off, the Rangers held the Marlins scoreless. So two runs was an improvement. However, Miami left seven runners on base, and thus increased its number of games with three runs or fewer to 88, the most in MLB.
This and that
— Outfielder Jorge Soler confirmed that his first season with the Marlins is all but over as he continues to rehab a lower back injury.“I don’t think I’ll be back this year,” Soler said, adding this is the first time in his playing career he has dealt with a back injury and that he will rehab in Miami for the next month.It puts a tough end to a frustrating season for the 30-year-old slugger who signed as a free agent with the Marlins about a week into spring training.In 72 games this season, Soler hit just .207 with a .695 on-base-plus-slugging mark but had 13 home runs — which had him on pace for 29 home runs over a full 162-game season — and 34 RBI.
— Prior to Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Marlins selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Aneurys Zabala, selected right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing as the 29th man for the doubleheader and optioned left-handed pitcher Andrew Nardi to Triple A Jacksonville. Braxton Garrett, who is scheduled to start the nightcap, is expected to be activated from the injured list and added to the roster between games.
