Tyler Phillips (1-3, 3.02 ERA) draws Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.00 ERA) at 6:40 PM PT in West Sacramento, and the surface-level pitching gap is not subtle. Phillips just threw 7.1 innings of one-run ball against St. Louis and still took the loss because the Marlins' offense went silent behind him — if the bats show up tonight, he has the stuff to hold the A's in check. Perkins, meanwhile, spent time in the bullpen before this rotation stretch and his ERA reflects the transition.
Both starters are occupying rotation spots born out of injury necessity rather than plan. Phillips stepped in after Robby Snelling required UCL surgery, Adam Mazur landed on the 60-day IL with an elbow problem, and Ronny Henriquez followed. On the other side, Gunnar Hoglund is done for the year after hip surgery, and Luis Severino moved to the 60-day IL with a shoulder issue last month. Neither guy was the preseason Opening Day answer — they're filling gaps and making the most of it, with very different results so far.
- 15-Day-ILAnthony Bender RP — The Marlins placed Bender on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shin stress reaction.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — Junk (shin) allowed one run over 2.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday before exiting after being struck on the left wrist by a comebacker, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez RP — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur SP — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.
- 10-Day-ILTyler Soderstrom LF — Soderstrom (hip) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
- 10-Day-ILJacob Wilson SS — Wilson (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
- 10-Day-ILZack Gelof 3B — The Athletics placed Gelof on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right hand contusion.
- PaternityJose Suarez RP — The Athletics placed Suarez on the paternity leave list Monday.
- 15-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. RP — Leiter (hip) began a throwing progression Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
The position player damage hits the Athletics harder. Brent Rooker — who played all 162 games last season — just had season-ending surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee. He is joined on the shelf by Jacob Wilson (shoulder), Zack Gelof (right hand contusion), and Tyler Soderstrom (hip), leaving West Sacramento's lineup thin at multiple spots. Oakland snapped its 4-game skid Wednesday with a 7-1 win over the Dodgers — J.T. Ginn pitched 6 solid innings and Shea Langeliers, Jonah Heim, and Alika Williams all went deep — but that was a different pitcher's night. Perkins and his 6.00 ERA are the story Friday.
The Marlins at 46-42 have a good-enough record but the Colorado series laid out their inconsistency in plain sight: they won the first 2 games 10-7 and 14-3, then lost the next 2 by scores of 3-6 and 4-14. The offensive ceiling is real. The floor is just as real. Miami's bullpen depth is a legitimate concern — Bender, Ekness, Nardi, and Henriquez are all unavailable — which means Phillips needs to go deep if this game is going to stay clean. On the plus side, he has shown he can do exactly that.