MIAMI — Though the Marlins opened their four-game series with a 9-6 win over the Phillies on Monday night at loanDepot park, it might have come at a cost, as third baseman Brian Anderson exited with left shoulder soreness and shortstop Miguel Rojas left after being hit by a pitch.
This comes on the heels of the Marlins receiving positive news earlier in the day. Catcher Jorge Alfaro (left hamstring strain) was reinstated from the IL, and center fielder Starling Marte (left rib fracture) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday. Miami hasn’t had its regular starting lineup play together since April 17.
Postgame, manager Don Mattingly said Anderson’s shoulder felt sore on a play at second a few days ago, and he likely aggravated it on his trip around the bases in the second inning on Monday. Anderson slid awkwardly into third base on Corey Dickerson‘s double to shallow left, but he later scored on Sandy León‘s sacrifice fly and remained in the game to play defense. Jon Berti pinch-hit for Anderson in the third to face Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin.
“You’re concerned when it stiffens up on him, and because most guys are going to try to keep going,” Mattingly said. “But I’m glad that he told the trainers what was going on. It’s stiffening up, which obviously is some concern, so we’ll just see how it goes in the morning, hoping that it’s something short term.”
Rojas was hit on the right forearm by a 92.2-mph sinker from former teammate Brandon Kintzler during a four-run seventh. Though he went out to short in the top of the eighth, rookie José Devers pinch-hit for him when his spot came up in the bottom half of the frame. Rojas told Mattingly he didn’t feel like he could swing, as he was having trouble gripping the bat.
Anderson already missed time with a left oblique strain from April 22-May 3. Through the first 27 games of the season, he had a slash line of .200/.245/.290. But Anderson had picked things up during a seven-game hitting streak, batting .458 with three doubles, one homer and five free passes. He walked in his first plate appearance on Monday, so the hitting streak remains intact. Entering Monday, Rojas was slashing .329/.364/.575 with 11 extra-base hits and 17 runs scored in his last 18 games.
In Anderson’s absence, Berti started every game at the hot corner. Isan Díaz had been practicing at third base, but he was placed on the seven-day IL on Sunday. Devers, the corresponding roster move, has yet to appear at third in his professional career, though he did see time there during Spring Training. Rojas has started 41 of 47 games at shortstop and is the club’s unofficial captain.
After striking out in his first at-bat on Monday, Berti was part of the go-ahead rally in the sixth. With one out, Adam Duvall reached on a fielding error and then Berti singled. Both scored on Dickerson’s triple to right-center. Berti later doubled in Miami’s four-run seventh against Kintzler, who served up a three-run homer to Duvall.
“We battle,” said Dickerson, who went 2-for-4. “A lot of people don’t see the ins and outs, [how] nicked up a lot of guys [are]. They go out there and play hard. Most of us aren’t 100%, or close to it, when we go out there. But we battle, we stay consistent with who’s available. I’m proud of the guys.”
The Marlins, like the rest of the National League East, have been nursing injuries over the past month. With the victory, Miami (23-24) moved ahead of Philadelphia (23-25) in the standings and pulled even with Atlanta (23-24) and within one game of New York (21-20). Over the past week, the club has won five of seven against the Phillies and Mets.
“The way I look at the last month or so, we were impacted significantly by injuries,” general manager Kim Ng said over the weekend. “But the idea that we’ve kept our heads above water … [we’re] right there in it. It speaks to the depth of the farm system — I think it speaks to the hard-nosed play that these guys put out there every day.”
