Marlins 5, Twins 2: Bats Disappear Again, Bullpen Melts Down, Miami Wins the Series

[Thiéres Rabelo]

Pablo López delivered seven brilliant innings of one-run ball, but the offense never really showed up, and the bullpen blew up in the eighth. The Twins dropped the game and the series against the Marlins before heading north for the home opener.

Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Pablo López, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (88 pitches, 60 strikes, 68.2%)
Home Runs: none
Bottom 3 WPA: Caleb Thielbar (-.320), José Miranda (-.181), Willi Castro (-.107)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

López and Luzardo dominate
Similar to what happened in Tuesday night’s game, Minnesota struggled early at the plate. The Marlins' number two starter, Jesús Luzardo, kept the Twins hitless through three innings on 34 pitches, with the only Twins baserunner (Willi Castro) reaching on a throwing error. Also similar to the evening before, the Marlins got on the board early with a first-inning solo home run, this time by Jorge Soler.

Facing a lefty starter for the first time in the year, the Twins’ strategy was to fill the lineup with eight righties, including Donovan Solano, who batted .301 against southpaws in 2022. But Minnesota only broke Luzardo’s no-hit bid in the fourth inning when Byron Buxton hit a leadoff single to right field.

Fortunately for the Twins, Pablo López was also having a brilliant start against his former team. After the Soler home run in the first, Marlins batters went 0-for-12 with a walk against him, with the only other hit coming in the bottom of the fifth. He completed five innings of work on only 60 pitches.

Larnach ties the game, but the Marlins break it open against the bullpen
The first big threat posed by Minnesota’s offense came in the top of the sixth, when Michael A. Taylor, Carlos Correa, and Solano reached to load the bases with two outs. But Luzardo got José Miranda to fly out after four pitches to end the threat.

While López continued to dazzle and delivered another scoreless inning to remain below the 75-pitch mark, the offense finally came through in the top of the seventh to tie the game. Ryan Jeffers hit a rocket (106.2 MPH exit velocity) to right for a one-out double, and a couple of at-bats later, Trevor Larnach scored him from second with a liner to left-center.

López completed seven innings with a tie game when the ball was handed to the bullpen. Griffin Jax took over to pitch the bottom and the eighth, but he was removed from the game after giving up back-to-back one-out singles, with Luis Arráez coming up as a pinch hitter. Caleb Thielbar stepped up to the mound, retired his old teammate (strikeout) for the second out, but followed up by giving up a long single to Jean Segura and then a three-run home run to Soler, making it 5-1 Miami.

With only the top of the ninth to try and rally back, the Twins were able to threaten again. Kyle Farmer hit a one-out groundball and was followed by a Jeffers walk. After moving to third on a Taylor fly out, Farmer scored on a wild pitch with Larnach batting, but the Twins left-fielder struck out to end the game. To be fair, the pitch that got called a third strike to end the game was really... a strike (see the video on the tweet below). But would that have changed the outcome of the game?

 

Postgame interview

What’s Next?
The Twins were supposed to head back to Minnesota and have their home opener against the Houston Astros on Thursday, then have a day off on Friday. However, the Thursday game was officially postponed by the club yesterday, and it will take place on Friday instead. Sonny Gray (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will start the game for Minnesota, while righty José Urquidy (0-0, 6.75 ERA) toes the rubber for Houston. The first pitch of the game is scheduled for 3:10 pm CDT, but Twins Daily is having a pregame party at Tom’s Watch Bar starting at 11 am CDT, and we would be thrilled if you could join us.

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	SAT	SUN	MON	TUE	WED	TOT
Pagán	0	16	0	26	0	42
Alcalá	12	0	25	0	0	37
Morán	0	20	0	15	0	35
Thielbar	18	0	0	0	13	31
Sands	0	0	28	0	0	28
Jax	11	0	0	0	9	20
López	8	11	0	0	0	19
Durán	0	0	0	0	0	0

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[Whitey333]

Offense anyone?

[jmlease1]

Tough beat by Thielbar. Definitely a little disappointed in the offense this series.

Starting pitching looked pretty great, though. That's pretty fun.

It's disappointing to drop the series, but a 4-2 road trip is still pretty good.

[darwin22]

Ugh!  Very deflating end to this road trip after a 4-0 start.

On the positive side I was very impressed with the outing of Lopez.  Also, Larnach continues to be a key part of lineup getting the game-tying hit off of Luzardo.

On the flip (negative) side a couple of things:

#1  Easy to lay blame on Thielbar for giving up go ahead run and then the game-ending BOMB by Soler. Thielbar has demonstrated his effectiveness for a long period and got a huge 2nd out whiffing Arraez.

Saying that, am I the only Twins fan wondering why our BEST RP---Duran was not brought into the game to face Arraez?  Duran hasn't pitched since opening day.  I know he was unavailable in KC on Sunday, but hadn't heard anything that would've kept him out today.  I would've preferred to see Duran against Arraez and DeLaCruz instead of Thielbar.

#2  I know only a small sample size-------but in 4 of our 6 games this offense has only produced 6 runs.

Collectively in those 4 games the following numbers are horrible---remember 2 of those were against Zack Greinke & Jordan Lyles

Avg:  .184 (24-130)

EBH:  3---------2 doubles (Buxton & Jeffers) 1 triple- Buxton   HR-0

Slug Pct:  .215---------yes .215-----that is beyond awful!

LOB:  26

K's:  34*--including 12 today with every batter whiffing at least once.

Our starting pitching has been excellent all season.  Bullpen, other than today, has been very good.

Buxton, Gallo and Larnach need our other "core hitters"----namely Correa, Miranda and Kepler---to get their bats going.  Those 3 have combined to go 10-61 (.163) with only 5 RBI and 2 extra base hits.

 

[218263]

Why didn’t they walk Soler in the eighth and bring in a right hander to pitch to Cooper? Even if they pinch hit a lefthander I would rather face whoever that is than pitch to Soler. He already burned them once, and is one of the best hitters in their lineup.

[chpettit19]

12 minutes ago, 218263 said:

Why didn’t they walk Soler in the eighth and bring in a right hander to pitch to Cooper? Even if they pinch hit a lefthander I would rather face whoever that is than pitch to Soler. He already burned them once, and is one of the best hitters in their lineup.

Because it's the 6th game of the season and burning through 3 relievers an inning is probably a bit aggressive at this point of the year. And I'm pretty sure their 3 hole hitter is also one of the best hitters in their lineup. Soler hit .223 in 2021, .207 last year, and is at .217 so far this year. Let's not make him about to be something he's not. Cooper hit .284 in 2021, .261 last year, and is at .316 this year.

[Beast]

I think we were getting a little ahead of ourselves with the excitement.  We just lost a series to the Miami Marlins and looked embarrassingly futile offensively.

This day off thing is just getting out of control.  We really can’t even get through week 1 of the season, which already has multiple off days built in, without pulling the plug on guys?  

Nick Gordon leading off yesterday, now Solano hitting third today?  And people here are constantly handwringing about there being no room on the roster?

This roster is still an absolute dumpster fire.  The only thing that’s really changed are the hideous jerseys.

[jkcarew]

Offense is probably going to be challenged all year. That seemed likely from the get-go. Really counting on Kirilloff (and maybe Lewis later) to tip the balance. 
 

With the starters looking as good as they are, that might mean a season with a lot of close games. So, the bullpen…and Rocco’s ability to maximize it’s effectiveness.

[jmlease1]

34 minutes ago, darwin22 said:

#1  Easy to lay blame on Thielbar for giving up go ahead run and then the game-ending BOMB by Soler. Thielbar has demonstrated his effectiveness for a long period and got a huge 2nd out whiffing Arraez.

Saying that, am I the only Twins fan wondering why our BEST RP---Duran was not brought into the game to face Arraez?  Duran hasn't pitched since opening day.  I know he was unavailable in KC on Sunday, but hadn't heard anything that would've kept him out today.  I would've preferred to see Duran against Arraez and DeLaCruz instead of Thielbar.

Arraez has a career OPS of .672 vs LHP and zero power vs lefties. yes, Duran is our best reliever, but Thielbar is an excellent pick to face Arraez. And De La Cruz has hit righties better than lefties so far in his short career as well, and much like Arraez shown little power against lefties. Sometimes it goes the other way.

[rick kayser]

To soon to be happy, to soon to be sad. That the pitching has held up is not surprising and the  hitting well,.. Some of the low contact, high K's line up was to be expected. Wat we now need is our bat to ball hitters to do exactly that. Rest easy or worry, lets enjoy a snowless opener.

 

[h2oface]

If you don't want to burn through pitchers, why do you remove your starter, who is pitching against his former team with aplomb, had just struck out the side (on 14 dealing pitches), and only has 88 pitches, very probably an innings worth under the 100 his former teammate just showed the previous game how it is so very possible? Miami has a bullpen, too, and could have relieved Alcantara. But he was dealing and they didn't. Is Lopez more fragile? I bring Lopez out for the 8th, and go from there, understanding all the options.

It was a shame that, when they did and brought in Jax, Correa was shifted to defend a lefty when a righty was at bat. Yes, Segura had hit it up the middle earlier, but what happened to the %'s here? Correa in the normal place for a righty, and it is a routine grounder and 2 outs for Jax. That play changed the game. 

I know it is early, and Theilbar got bombed at the beginning of last year, too, and then ended up having his best year, but I fear for the confidence in Theilbar. I have been saying all spring that last year was probably the one shining end of the season. The smoke has cleared and the mirrors are cracked. I hope I am wrong, but this performance isn't helping. Theilbar not only tanked his early season ERA, but he crushed Jax's even worse with the IRS! Thanks Caleb.

Here come 10 against the Astros, White Sox, and Yankees (4)......... from last place teams to front runners. Now we see how this team measures up. 

[blindeke]

Quote

Saying that, am I the only Twins fan wondering why our BEST RP---Duran was not brought into the game to face Arraez?  Duran hasn't pitched since opening day.  I know he was unavailable in KC on Sunday, but hadn't heard anything that would've kept him out today.  I would've preferred to see Duran against Arraez and DeLaCruz instead of Thielbar.

That is a great point. Last year, Duran pitches those moments...

[Vanimal46]

The real challenge begins. Astros, White Sox, and Yankees next. 

[218263]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Because it's the 6th game of the season and burning through 3 relievers an inning is probably a bit aggressive at this point of the year. And I'm pretty sure their 3 hole hitter is also one of the best hitters in their lineup. Soler hit .223 in 2021, .207 last year, and is at .217 so far this year. Let's not make him about to be something he's not. Cooper hit .284 in 2021, .261 last year, and is at .316 this year.

 

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Because it's the 6th game of the season and burning through 3 relievers an inning is probably a bit aggressive at this point of the year. And I'm pretty sure their 3 hole hitter is also one of the best hitters in their lineup. Soler hit .223 in 2021, .207 last year, and is at .217 so far this year. Let's not make him about to be something he's not. Cooper hit .284 in 2021, .261 last year, and is at .316 this year.

Sorry, I disagree. We are trying to win a game. Three relievers in an inning is no big deal. They’ve got a day off tomorrow. You just don’t pitch to Soler in that situation.

 

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Because it's the 6th game of the season and burning through 3 relievers an inning is probably a bit aggressive at this point of the year. And I'm pretty sure their 3 hole hitter is also one of the best hitters in their lineup. Soler hit .223 in 2021, .207 last year, and is at .217 so far this year. Let's not make him about to be something he's not. Cooper hit .284 in 2021, .261 last year, and is at .316 this year.

 

[chpettit19]

9 minutes ago, 218263 said:

Sorry, I disagree. We are trying to win a game. Three relievers in an inning is no big deal. They’ve got a day off tomorrow. You just don’t pitch to Soler in that situation.

Fine, use 3 relievers. But Cooper is the better hitter. What is the logic in loading the bases to face the better hitter? And, fine, bring in a righty reliever. Cooper has an .805 OPS against lefties. But his OPS against righties is .784. The pitcher being a righty makes negligible difference with him. So now you've loaded the bases to face the superior hitter and are bringing in a 3rd reliever who has to be on top of his game with no wiggle room. Failing to see why they'd walk Soler in this situation. Unless we're just using hindsight because of what happened. Pitching to Soler was a pretty defensible decision.

[mikelink45]

 Let's wait.  We swept the Royals - anyone think we will be the only ones to do that?  Then we lose two of three to the Marlins.  Those two teams were -  134 - 190 last year .413.  Glad we won 4 of 6, but we should be expected to do that well, at least.  I will ask again - why is Castro on the team?  .000.  Give me a real fourth outfielder.  I know some of you blasted me yesterday for my Castro rant - have at it again, I feel the same.  Wallner and any other real OF should be on the team.  

[ashbury]

9 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

 I will ask again - why is Castro on the team?  .000.  Give me a real fourth outfielder.  I know some of you blasted me yesterday for my Castro rant - have at it again, I feel the same.  Wallner and any other real OF should be on the team.  

IMO the reason comes back to Buxton not playing in the outfield.  If he's the fulltime DH, and Taylor's playing every day, there's no room for a bat-first guy like Wallner.  But put Buxton in CF and Taylor on the bench, where they respectively belong, and then Castro's the one with no real role and Wallner can be up. (Or Garlick the Lefty Killer, for a game like today, if that's the preference a week ago when the decision was made and there was the 40-man spot open.)

Just to be clear, I bow to the team's and Buxton's collective decision about this.  But this is the cost.

[MABB1959]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

I think we were getting a little ahead of ourselves with the excitement.  We just lost a series to the Miami Marlins and looked embarrassingly futile offensively.

This day off thing is just getting out of control.  We really can’t even get through week 1 of the season, which already has multiple off days built in, without pulling the plug on guys?  

Nick Gordon leading off yesterday, now Solano hitting third today?  And people here are constantly handwringing about there being no room on the roster?

This roster is still an absolute dumpster fire.  The only thing that’s really changed are the hideous jerseys.

I could not believe Buxton needed a day off already.  4 games as a DH and he already needed a rest day.   He was hitting very good.  I don’t think a player should be pulled when on a streak.  

[DJL44]

11 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

 Give me a real fourth outfielder.  I know some of you blasted me yesterday for my Castro rant - have at it again, I feel the same.  Wallner and any other real OF should be on the team.  

The guy you want on the roster instead of Castro is Kyle Garlick. Wallner is not a good player to start against Luzardo.

[umterp23]

The Buxton DH experiment and no outfield to maybe May or June is a real joke.  DH where he is running out ground balls, hustling on extra base hits and sliding into bags that look awful compared to running in the field for defense.  He should have been in the field today with tomorrow off (gift of an off day) and then DH Friday in colder weather.  Castro while a nice story is only that.  No reason for him to be on team except they have moves they can make with him with no penalty.  Garlick isn't really the answer either.  

Buxton not playing in the field trickle down effect in full bloom and they say April Showers bring May flowers.

[Danchat]

So far, things are panning out as expected... the starters look great, the bullpen is fine, and the hitters are very questionable... we're just not going to be scoring a lot of runs when Solano, Castro, and Taylor are in the same lineup.

[218263]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Fine, use 3 relievers. But Cooper is the better hitter. What is the logic in loading the bases to face the better hitter? And, fine, bring in a righty reliever. Cooper has an .805 OPS against lefties. But his OPS against righties is .784. The pitcher being a righty makes negligible difference with him. So now you've loaded the bases to face the superior hitter and are bringing in a 3rd reliever who has to be on top of his game with no wiggle room. Failing to see why they'd walk Soler in this situation. Unless we're just using hindsight because of what happened. Pitching to Soler was a pretty defensible decision.

No, it wasn’t in hindsight I felt that at the time. I believe that’s what the discussion on the mound was about also and they made the wrong decision. Walk him and set up a force. You can throw all the averages out there, but a lefty facing righty in that situation with first base open was not smart.

[gunnarthor]

88 pitches and he was dominant. And we pull him. I bet we're going to get an amazing 140 innings from him this year. 

In all seriousness, dud he slow a bit in his last inning? Was he showing fatigue? 

[lukeduke1980]

Alcantara is among the best, Luzardo is on the upswing.   Hard to be concerned. Try again Friday. 

[mikelink45]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

IMO the reason comes back to Buxton not playing in the outfield.  If he's the fulltime DH, and Taylor's playing every day, there's no room for a bat-first guy like Wallner.  But put Buxton in CF and Taylor on the bench, where they respectively belong, and then Castro's the one with no real role and Wallner can be up. (Or Garlick the Lefty Killer, for a game like today, if that's the preference a week ago when the decision was made and there was the 40-man spot open.)

Just to be clear, I bow to the team's and Buxton's collective decision about this.  But this is the cost.

I believe that we claimed St Paul was a great place for AAA so we could get players moved quickly.  If we lose Castro it is not a tragedy.  I maintain we need an outfielder for the OF, but my opinion carries no weight.

[mikelink45]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

The guy you want on the roster instead of Castro is Kyle Garlick. Wallner is not a good player to start against Luzardo.

That's fine, I just want an outfielder

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, 218263 said:

No, it wasn’t in hindsight I felt that at the time. I believe that’s what the discussion on the mound was about also and they made the wrong decision. Walk him and set up a force. You can throw all the averages out there, but a lefty facing righty in that situation with first base open was not smart.

A lefty got the righty out. The idea behind "a lefty facing a righty" is the "percentages." The reason you look for platoon splits is literally the percentages. So when someone doesn't have platoon splits you stop caring about the percentages as it's no longer an advantage. You being, apparently, unaware that Cooper was the better hitter doesn't make it the wrong decision, or "not smart." Walking the bases loaded to get the better hitter to the plate with 2 outs (because a double play doesn't matter) is never the smarter move. They attacked the right hitter, just lost this time. And guess what...it's going to happen again! Welcome to sports.

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

I believe that we claimed St Paul was a great place for AAA so we could get players moved quickly.  If we lose Castro it is not a tragedy.  I maintain we need an outfielder for the OF, but my opinion carries no weight.

2 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

That's fine, I just want an outfielder

Not suggesting Castro is some great player or anything, but he's played 735 major league innings in the OF before this year. That's about 20 less than Garlick and Wallner combined. Castro is an OFer.

[h2oface]

Don't you love it when the game ends on a great take by Larnach, the pitch is 4-6 inches outside (according to robot), and the umpire calls it a strike? I don't. Plate umpire was poor all day. In fact, Lopez's 500 K was outside and not a third strike!

There is already a pitch clock. No need to call balls strikes to go home early.

Lopez #500 called third strike:

[ToriiRules!!]

Solano batting 3rd… enough said!!!!