The Miami Marlins dropped their most recent and series-opening game to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, 4-2, as the Fish's rally in the ninth inning came up short. But the Marlins stayed in the game the whole entire way for one big reason.
That reason being veteran starting pitcher Ryan Gusto having his best outing of the season against one of baseball and National League's best. The righty was able to complete six innings of work where he only conceded one run on five hits while striking out five batters and walking none.
The Marlins offense had every chance to make a statement and win the game because of how well Gusto pitched in the contest. But the Marlins scored their only two runs of the game in the ninth inning against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.
The game ended with the Fish attempting a double steal of second and third base but Jakob Marsee was caught going for third with catcher Drake Baldwin throwing him out. Manager Clayton McCullough tried to play risky and get both runners in scoring position and try to tie the game with a base hit.
But the move ended up not working and Gusto ended up being tagged with the loss even though he deserved a much better fate in this one. He dueled with Braves hurler Grant Holmes as both starters pitched six innings and gave up one run or less.
Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the current uncertainty surrounding Marlins ace Max Meyer and the Fish not having a solid third starting pitcher behind Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez, Gusto could end up being that guy. But he needs to be able to keep the consistency if McCullough is to trust him down the line.
The fact that he put up a very good outing against one of the best teams in baseball shows that he can compete with the big guns. He showed the Marlins and their staff that he is not scared of teams that are better than Miami and can go toe-to-toe with anybody.
And if Gusto can keep pitching like this for the Fish for the rest of the year, he can be a solid third option while Meyer is on the shelf. Once Meyer returns from his injury, Gusto could be a solid fourth option and be a guy to watch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/marlins/onsi as Marlins Lose to Braves But Get Needed Improvement from Ryan Gusto .
