STL 0, MIA 0; Trevor makes great impression in final spring start

Mar 22, 2023 - 8:40 PM

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) throws a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at Roger Dean Stadium." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sI5LZD4qkcXqQgaM4sUzvdrTb8w=/0x0:6397x3598/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72103721/usa_today_20296486.0.jpg" />

It has been a theme throughout Spring Training: the Marlins offense stays silent no matter who they’re facing. Wednesday’s opponent was the Cardinals and left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery. The results were more of the same.

Trev shuts down the Cardinals

This was a rematch against a St. Louis lineup that lit up Rogers for eight runs last week. Well, he bounced back and got his revenge, striking out four, walking one, and not allowing a single run through five innings of work.

Trev mixed four different pitches, but mainly trusted his four-seam fastball and changeup. His velocity was a little lower than usual, causing Statcast to mistake several of his low-90s fastballs for changeups.

Rogers hit almost all of his spots, locating 53 of his 71 pitches for strikes (74.6%). Rogers led the day with 12 swings-and-misses.

This was Trevor Rogers’ final Spring Training appearance. He finished with a 5.00 ERA, 17 SO, 3 BB, and pitched 18 innings. He has mentioned in prior starts that he feels great and that his command is the best that it has been. That was the case again here. He has looked like his 2021 All-Star self.

Garrett Cooper loves March

It does not take long for Cooper to find his rhythm at the plate. Most springs, he’s among the Marlins team leaders in hits. With another solid single today, he is slashing .325/.341/.400/.741 with one home run and seven RBIs.

Cooper has already earned his place on the Marlins roster. NRI Yuli Gurriel gives the team an alternative at first base, but it might actually work to Coop’s advantage if Gurriel makes the team and allows Coop to focus more on his at-bats rather than the defensive aspect of the game.

The bullpen impresses

Relievers Matt Barnes, Robert Garcia, and Dylan Floro pitched for the Marlins today. Barnes’ stuff looked great and he picked up swinging strikes with both his fastball and curveball.

Floro was the only Miami reliever to allow any hits.

Game Notes

• The following moves were made prior to the game: Austin Allen, CJ Hinojosa, and Brian Miller were re-assigned to minor league camp and Peyton Burdick was optioned to AAA Jacksonville.
• Jacob Stallings, who isn’t known for his offense, had a two-hit game today. So did Bryan De La Cruz.
• Jean Segura continues to hit well for his new club—his .346 batting average in Grapefruit League games leads the team among players who have had consistent playing time.
• Joey Wendle continues to struggle this spring, slashing .114/.114/.171/.285.
• It’s been a high-scoring spring around Major League Baseball, but that doesn’t apply to the Marlins, unfortunately.

• The Marlins pitching staff kept Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker quiet as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Players from minor league camp who saw action included Torin Montgomery, Kyler Castillo, Joe Rizzo, Angeudis Santos, Tanner Allen, Josh Zamora, and Ian Lewis.
• On the Marlins backfields, prospect Zach Zubia hit two homers today.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow, the Marlins have a scheduled off day. They return to action on Friday as the Houston Astros come to Jupiter for a night game (6:40 pm). It’ll be Framber Valdez v. Sandy Alcantara.