Marlins week in review: Questions Miami has to answer after being swept by Orioles

This was not how the Miami Marlins wanted to start play following the All-Star Break.

The Marlins entered Baltimore with the second-best record in the National League and were 14 games over .500. The goal, as always, was to build on that as the unofficial second half of the season — and the two-and-a-half month final dash to the playoffs — began.

Instead, they lost all three games they played against the Baltimore Orioles this weekend.

Now, the Marlins still remain in a playoff spot, tied with the San Francisco Giants for the NL’s top wild card spot as the weekend comes to an end.

But the gap is narrowing. The Arizona Diamondbacks are a half-game behind Miami with the third wild card spot. The Phillies and Cincinnati Reds are within two games of the Diamondbacks, leaving five teams competing for three spots before even considering the likes of the Padres and Mets trying to make a late-season push toward postseason relevancy.

The Marlins can’t afford too many slip-ups down the stretch. With that, there are questions to answer and potential roster improvements that need to be made — and ideally sooner than later.

Here are the two most pressing...

1.) Who is the team’s fifth starting pitcher? With Eury Perez down in the minor leagues as Miami monitors his innings, the Marlins’ starting rotation has four locks: Sandy Alcantara, Braxton Garrett, Jesus Luzardo and Edward Cabrera, the latter of whom is all but expected to be activated Tuesday to start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Who does that leave for the final spot, the spot that was left void in favor of a bullpen game on Sunday?

Miami is sorting that out, but Miami’s in-house options at the moment are thin as long as Perez is in the minor leagues.

Left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers remains sidelined due to a tear in his right lat. Bryan Hoeing, who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, was used as a reliever on Friday. Johnny Cueto, who has been a starter his whole career, is pitching out of the bullpen for now after missing three-and-a-half months due to right biceps tightness and then a rolled left ankle.

Manager Skip Schumaker did not rule out having Cueto rejoin the rotation eventually, but for now, the focus is on giving him a softer landing back into the big leagues.

2.) What moves can/should be made at the trade deadline? The Marlins are in position to be buyers at the trade deadline, which is on Aug. 1 this year.

Marlins general manager Kim Ng said before the All-Star Break that the team will explore all options that could improve the team as they make a playoff push.

That said, Miami has three primary needs: Another impact bat for the lineup, a right-handed reliever and potentially a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. The starting pitcher is dependent on how injuries play out and how the Marlins try to monitor innings for their younger starting pitchers, most of whom are either approaching or have already exceeded their career highs. Luzardo, Garrett and Perez have already exceeded their single-season career highs. Cabrera will approach that mark too if he stays healthy down the stretch.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed the Marlins as potential fits for acquiring Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario and Rockies right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence.

Candelario is a logical position-player target. He’s having a solid year for the Nationals (.260 average, .813 OPS, 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 46 runs scored in 86 games) and is a switch-hitter who could add pop to the Marlins’ lineup.

Lawrence has a 2.63 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 48 innings this season and has converted five of six save opportunities. It’s worth noting that Lawrence is under team control for four more seasons after 2023, so Colorado doesn’t necessarily have to move him.

Regardless, another right-handed reliever would be welcomed considering the construction of the Marlins’ bullpen. At full strength, four of the team’s top relievers are left-handed pitchers, led by closer A.J. Puk and set-up man Tanner Scott followed by Steven Okert and Andrew Nardi (who is currently on the 15-day IL with triceps inflammation). Dylan Floro and JT Chargois are the primary high-leverage right-handed pitchers but haven’t been used in key spots as of late. Matt Barnes, set to undergo hip impingement surgery on July 25, is effectively out for the year, taking out another key bullpen piece.

Recapping the MLB Draft

Over three days, the Marlins selected 21 players in the 2023 MLB Draft. Miami’s haul is highlighted by its top two picks, with the team selecting arguably the top two high school pitchers available in Noble Meyer at No. 10 and Thomas White at No. 35 before going heavy on college players the rest of the draft.

(A full profile on Meyer can be found here.)

The Marlins on Saturday announced they have signed 13 of those 21 picks: fourth-round pick left-handed pitcher Emmett Olson out of Nebraska, fifth-round pick right-handed pitcher Andrew Lindsey out of Tennessee, sixth-round pick outfielder Jake DeLeo out of Georgia Tech, seventh-round pick left-handed pitcher Justin Storm out of Southern Mississippi, eighth-round pick right-handed pitcher Nicholas Maldonado out of Vanderbilt, ninth-round pick outfielder Colby Shade out of Oregon, 10th-round pick right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem out of North Carolina A&T, 14th-round pick left-handed pitcher Jack Sellinger out of UNLV, 15th-round pick right-handed pitcher Nigel Belgrave out of Maryland, 16th-round pick left-handed pitcher Kevin Vaupel out of Seton Hill, 17th-round pick outfielder Mark Coley out of Connecticut, 19th-round pick shortstop John Olmstead out of USC and 20th-round two-pay player Ryan Ignoffo out of Eastern Illinois.

They also signed a pair of undrafted free agents: Georgia Tech first baseman Angelo DiSpigna and Arizona third baseman Antonio Bullard.

Teams have until July 25 to come to terms with their draft class.

Game recaps from this week

▪ Friday — Orioles 5, Marlins 2: The Orioles hit two home runs in the fourth inning against Sandy Alcantara to take the lead for good in the series opener.

▪ Saturday — Orioles 6, Marlins 5: The Marlins jumped to an early 4-0 lead but defensive miscues and a pair of bad innings opened the door for a Baltimore comeback.

▪ Sunday — Orioles 5, Marlins 4: Miami nearly came back from a five-run deficit in the ninth but the rally attempt came up short.

In case you missed it

▪ Luis Arraez saw two pitches at the MLB All-Star Game. Naturally, he got two hits.

▪ Prospect Victor Victor Mesa left the Triple A Jacksonville team and is on the restricted list.

▪ The 2024 schedule is out. Check out the highlights.

Upcoming Miami Marlins schedule

Monday: Marlins @ Cardinals, 7:45 p.m.

Tuesday: Marlins @ Cardinals, 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Marlins @ Cardinals, 2:15 p.m.

Thursday: OFF

Friday: Marlins vs Rockies, 6:40 p.m.

Saturday: Marlins vs Rockies, 1:10 p.m.

Sunday: Marlins vs. Rockies, 1:40 p.m.