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W: Nelson, 1-0
L: Wolf, 0-1
HR: Ozuna, 9
MLB.com Box
Remember back in 2012 when Jeff Suppan somehow threw 5 shutout innings against the Brewers in his first start after being out of the majors for over a year?
Today the Marlins tried the old trick with Randy Wolf, and it did not work. In the 1st inning, Wolf's former teammates Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez, and Rickie Weeks went double, double, single, single to score 3 runs. Wolf then was able to keep the bottom of the order quiet but in the 2nd, Segura reached on an error and was driven in by a Braun triple. Braun himself was then driven in by Lucroy's 20th double, which moved him into a tie for the NL lead in that category. The 3rd brought a sixth run via an opposite field double from Khris Davis and a single from Martin Maldonado.
The nice early lead certainly helped out Jimmy Nelson, who pitched well but certainly appeared a bit jittery in his first major league start of the year (and most likely not his last). He got through 5 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 walks, with 6 strikeouts. To his credit, every time he worked himself into trouble, he also worked himself out of it. For proof of his stuff, look no further than the fact that he struck out Giancarlo Stanton twice, each time with runners on. He will optioned out tonight, but he will be back.
Rob Wooten did some nice work today, getting Nelson out of a jam by getting a groundout and stranding two runners after replacing him in the 6th. He continued to work a scoreless 7th. The Brewers got one Badger Mutual Insurance Run in the 8th courtesy of another Davis double and a Scooter Gennett pinch-hit RBI single. Brandon Kintzler then came on to pitch a clean 8th. With a 7-0 lead in the 9th, there seemed to be a window for some Wei-Chung action, but K-Rod got the call to get in work. He gave up a leadoff homer to Marcell Ozuna to lose the shutout but then closed out Jimmy Nelson's first of hopefully many big league victories.
Other notes:
- Ryan Braun began the game with plate appearances resulting in double, triple, single, so we were on cycle watch all day, but it was not meant to be. He hit one more single and finished 4/5.
- Khris Davis went 2/5 with 2 opposite field doubles. Importantly, one of those doubles came against a right-handed pitcher, Marlins reliever Carter Capps.
- With the big lead, Carlos Gomez exited in favor of Logan Schafer, presumably to get the back some extra rest.
- Lucroy might have been smashing doubles left and right out of resentment that Wolf refused to pitch to him when the two of them played together. Eat it, Randy.