The Miami Marlins welcomed their National League East division rival Washington Nationals to Miami for the first of a three-game weekend set.
Righty Ryan Gusto took the mound for the Fish who were looking to find answers after being recently swept in a three game series by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gusto did not exactly do a whole lot to impress manager Clayton McCullough and his staff to open their weekend series. Gusto was pulled after only completing four innings where he did not give up a run but he gave up five hits and walked one batter.
Gusto dealt with trouble in the first and fourth innings where the Nationals had runners on first and third base with two outs in both innings and did not scratch across any runs. Gusto was lucky to get out of both innings unscathed.
The Marlins need Gusto to figure things out quickly for a rotation that badly needs stability. They cannot keep relying on the same few guys to keep the rotation consistent.
Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It is no secret to baseball fans and Marlins fans in general that Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez at the current moment are the workhorses and the 1A and 1B of the starting rotation for the Fish. And with Max Meyer having been on the injured list for a while, McCullough has been searching for consistency outside of his top two guys.
And before this outing against the Nationals, Gusto faced the Cincinnati Reds on the road on Aug. 15. and had a rough go of it. Gusto only completed 4.2 innings where he gave up four runs (two were earned) on six hits while striking out six batters and giving up two home runs.
The Marlins for quite a while now since Meyer's unfortunate injury have been searching for guys in the starting rotation to step up and show consistency. And the fact that Gusto has had an up-and-down season where at some points he can be consistent and other points he can be inconsistent, it has not helped matters.
If the Fish do not make the playoffs this season come October, McCullough is going to want his other rotation guys to showcase what they can do for next season. And as of recently, Gusto is showing the staff that he is not trustworthy, at least not yet.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/marlins/onsi as Why Marlins Need Ryan Gusto to Deliver More Consistently Now .
