Gusto picks up 1st win as Marlin while Junk pitches out of 'pen
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MIAMI -- Ryan Gusto picked up his elusive first win as a Marlin and starter Janson Junk came on in relief for a shorthanded bullpen in Wednesday night’s 4-0 victory over the Red Sox at loanDepot park.
The Marlins (68-66) avoided the sweep and remained four games behind the Padres for the final National League Wild Card with 28 games remaining. Following Thursday’s off-day, Miami will visit Washington and Kansas City for a seven-game road trip.
Gusto went 5 2/3 scoreless innings but flirted with traffic throughout by hitting two batters, walking a season-high-tying three and permitting four hits (all singles). His greatest escape act came in the second, when he stranded the bases loaded after corralling a comebacker.
In the sixth, Gusto allowed a leadoff single to Caleb Durbin before inducing a double play -- he recorded 12 groundouts on the evening -- to erase the runner. The ensuing hit-by-pitch and single, however, chased Gusto with runners on the corners.
Righty Victor Vodnik took over and struck out Anthony Seigler looking on a slider that clipped the outside corner on the fifth pitch of the at-bat.
Wednesday’s series finale helped Gusto move on from a dubious distinction: He had been the first pitcher in franchise history to not earn a win in his first 15 starts with the club. Gusto joined the Marlins as part of the return for Jesús Sánchez ahead of last year’s Trade Deadline.
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Gusto’s performance came when his club needed it the most. Due to the bullpen’s usage over the previous five games of the homestand and Pete Fairbanks’ injury, there were several relievers unavailable.
Junk, who threw 69 pitches across 4 2/3 innings in Sunday’s start against the Nationals, tossed a perfect eighth on eight pitches. Rookie lefty Dax Fulton finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
Miami scored a run in each of the first two frames against righty Sonny Gray, then tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth.
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Kyle Stowers led off the first with a single, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on Heriberto Hernández’s RBI single.
Otto Lopez used his wheels for another run in the second. After his leadoff single, he stole second base and came around to score on catcher Connor Wong’s throwing error, which deflected off Lopez’s helmet and into the left-center gap. Lopez narrowly beat center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw home.
With one out in the eighth, Lopez singled, stole second and advanced to third on another throwing error. He scored on first baseman Nick Sogard’s fielding error on Owen Caissie’s grounder. Javier Sanoja added a two-out RBI single.