WASHINGTON -- On Saturday morning, less than 12 hours after the Marlins’ series opener vs. the Nationals ended (12:35 a.m. ET), Eric Wagaman stood on the stairs in the visiting dugout at Nationals Park, just a few steps down from the field.
Glove in hand, he stared out at the field, taking in the sight -- and likely still waking up.
As he mentally prepared to step onto the warning track for some early grounders, reliever Lake Bachar walked past and said, “Two more steps and you got it.” With that encouragement -- and in a sense, peer pressure, Wagaman climbed those last two stairs and stepped onto the field.
It was an apt metaphor for Miami’s 4-3 win vs. Washington, which was a scheduled bullpen game and the opposite of the previous night’s 11-9 slugfest.
“That is a great win,” manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “All things considered -- the quick turnaround, how things transpired last night -- for our group to come back today, put together a really good team effort and to, you know, hold on there at the end, get the first two games of this series, [I’m] really proud of our group.”
It helps that the Marlins are becoming experts at the art of a bullpen day -- and maximizing their relief arms while playing up pitcher-batter matchups as much as possible.
“You can kind of set guys up into pockets or areas of a lineup that you feel is most advantageous for them,” McCullough said pregame. “And I would bet a lot of people [would], if you could run a bullpen game every day of the season.”
So, despite using seven relievers in Friday night’s win -- which included a 2-hour, 14-minute rain delay in the fourth inning -- all it took was just one (or two) more steps from each reliever. Cade Gibson, who pitched 1 1/3 innings on Friday, opened the game with a scoreless first before allowing a leadoff walk in the second, which came around to score. Ronny Henriquez (one hit, two walks) and Anthony Veneziano (one hit, one walk) each pitched two-thirds of an inning behind Gibson.
In the end, though, it was an impressive outing from Janson Junk that held the Nats to a lone second-inning run (until a ninth-inning rally attempt) while giving the Marlins’ bats time to wake up.
“He’s really good,” McCullough said. “He’s got a deep arsenal, he’s got a good fastball with carry toward the top of the strike zone that hitters have to respect. And then his ability to, you know, spin the ball really in any count. …
“We knew we were going to need length out of Janson today. We were expecting that, and expecting a quality performance from him. I think, again, to come into the third, get the big double play right away, to leave a runner at third base and then proceed to go through the eighth and hold Washington down, be able to turn it over -- I mean, that’s probably the difference in the game today.”
With Junk’s 5 2/3 scoreless innings, all Miami needed for a while was an RBI single from Wagaman that gave them a lead in the sixth inning. The Marlins added on late with a solo homer from Jesús Sánchez in the seventh inning. They also got a run across in the eighth, all while Junk shut down the Nationals’ aggressive offense (just two hits with four K’s over Junk’s near-perfect outing).
“We’ve definitely had a couple of really good days offensively,” McCullough said. “Collecting hits, coming through with two [K’s], with some guys in scoring position. Wagaman did it again today, [Liam Hicks] with the big knock with the infield.
“We just continue to pound it and preach the quality of the at-bat, the decision making, putting yourself in advantageous counts. … It’s a testament to those guys, just continue to show up and grind and work.”
Those extra runs came in handy when Washington rallied for two runs off Anthony Bender in the ninth before Calvin Faucher relieved him with two outs. Faucher coaxed James Wood into a harmless popout to shortstop Otto Lopez to end the game.
The Marlins will continue to call on Junk in long relief roles -- he has, after all, become a mainstay of their bullpen game rotation. He also finds a lot of pride in delivering clean innings to save his team and the rest of the ‘pen from becoming overly taxed. So, why change something that’s working so well?
“I just want to do good at my job and go out there and give them that bulk length, knowing where we are with the bullpen,” Junk said. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I’m proud of, and like, supporting the team. I just want to help the team out. I understand what my role is, and go out there and execute. …
“I try -- every single time I step onto that field, that mound, and look down at the catcher, I just understand that my stuff’s good enough to get these guys out. At the end of the day, I understand that [I] can get guys out. That’s where the confidence comes from.”