NewsWest sent down after another struggle
Marlins score only one vs. D-backs night after being blanked
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
07/12/09 1:01 AM ET
PHOENIX -- With rookie Sean West, the Marlins know they're going to endure some growing pains.They did on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old West gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings, and that was all the opening Jon Garland needed to lead the D-backs to a 5-1 victory over the Marlins in front of 29,477 at Chase Field.
The five runs allowed matched a career high for West, who allowed nine hits, walked four and struck out one. Garland, meanwhile, had a string of six straight losing decisions snapped.
After watching the 6-foot-8 West struggle for the third straight start, the Marlins optioned the left-hander to Double-A Jacksonville.
"I have to improve on some things," West said. "I agree 100 percent with their decision. There is stuff I have to work on. That's a decision they had to make.
"If a big leaguer knows you don't have your secondary pitches working, they're going to sit on a fastball. I've been struggling with that the last two starts. I'll go down to Jacksonville, improve on some things and see what happens. Just off-speed, in general."
Garland, meanwhile, limited the Marlins to one run seven hits. Now 5-8, Garland won for the first time since he beat Florida 5-3 on May 19 at Land Shark Stadium.
The Marlins hit some balls hard off Garland, but had little to show for it. Jorge Cantu had three hits and an RBI. Jeremy Hermida, however, was snake-bitten, as he went 1-for-4. In the third inning, he belted a ball that hooked just foul of being a three-run homer. He ended up striking out.
In the sixth inning, Hermida connected on a ball that traveled about 410 feet to center field. Chris Young made a great catch at the wall, and then he doubled-up Cantu, who couldn't get back to first base.
In the ninth inning, Hermida hit a hard liner that was snared by first baseman Tony Clark.
"I didn't really feel right for quite a while," Garland said. "Just felt real jumpy. By the sixth, I began to feel mechanically better. Until then, the defense helped."
After rallying to a 14-7 win on Thursday night, the Marlins have lost two straight, with the series finale set for Sunday afternoon.
When the Marlins scored 14 runs, they established a season high for a game. But since then, they combined for one run over the past two games. All-Star Dan Haren threw a four-hit shutout on Friday, and Garland (5-8) yielded one run on seven hits.
"We hit some balls on the button today. Jeremy hit one up against the monster up there, and they turned a double play," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He hit another one that almost ended the game, hitting a rocket there. He hit the ball hard, and nothing happened. And Garland did a nice job, he did."
Having lost two straight, the Marlins fell four games behind the NL East-leading Phillies, who rallied to beat the Pirates, 8-7, on Saturday. The Marlins are now 45-44 with one more game remaining before the All-Star break.
"We're still playing over .500, and that's the most important thing," Cantu said. "But we're going to have off-nights. We have to regroup, and come back and play, and close out the first half."
For West, the five runs allowed matched a season high. He has surrendered five runs in three straight starts, and four of his last five outings.
The D-backs struck quickly, scoring three in the first inning. Felipe Lopez singled, and a terrific diving play by second baseman Dan Uggla prevented another single. Justin Upton singled and Mark Reynolds walked, loading the bases.
Miguel Montero's two-run double opened the scoring, and Gerardo Parra had an RBI groundout. In the second inning, Upton added an RBI single.
The fifth run off West came in the fifth inning on a disputed play. After Upton tripled to open the inning, and Arizona had runners at the corners with one out, Parra hit a hard ground ball to Uggla. The Marlins quickly tried to turn a 4-6-3 double play. But on a bang-bang play at first base, Parra was called safe. Gonzalez disputed the ruling, which gave Parra an RBI and Arizona a 5-1 lead.
The Marlins lone run off Garland came in the third inning on Cantu's RBI single, which scored West, who reached on his first MLB hit.
"We were hoping to get a win today," Cantu said. "We're getting closer to the break, and we wanted to gain a game or two on the Phillies."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
