Gusto eventually finds his groove in tough 1st home start for Marlins

MIAMI -- Through two innings, it appeared as if Ryan Gusto's first home start as a member of the Marlins might be nightmarish.

Gusto tallied 47 pitches through his first two frames against the Blue Jays on Friday night at loanDepot park, while giving up three runs. But when he walked off the mound for the final time -- lauded with applause from family and friends -- Gusto was up to 90 pitches, and he had grinded through six innings on the hill.

Gusto allowed five runs in the Marlins’ 5-2 loss, but manager Clayton McCullough walked away with several good sentiments following the outing.

That’s a good sign for Gusto, who, with Cal Quantrill departing to Atlanta, has a chance to slide into Miami’s rotation as the season whittles down.

“[Toronto] really worked his pitch count up the first couple innings,” McCullough said, “[but] I think he really got into a nice groove, and was able to get through six innings today. Overall, I think his stuff was good. We saw a good fastball, and it’s a deep mix with the cutter, sweeper. He threw some changeups right-on-right, which is going to be a good pitch for him moving forward.

“ ... Unfortunately, [he] kind of bookended the first and the sixth. … I think, all in all, that was a really good outing … from a stuff perspective, and how well he got into a rhythm there in the middle part.”

The ends of the book McCullough referred to were a two-out first-inning rally that plated three, and a two-run homer from Daulton Varsho with two outs in the sixth. Save for the damage -- particularly in the sixth -- Gusto was pleased with his performance.

“I wish the line was a little better, but I feel good physically, and am really happy with the way that I threw,” he said. “I think in the first inning it just got away from me a little bit. I don't think I made bad pitches, I think they probably just had a little better approach than what we were coming at them with.

“So [I] sat down and talked to [pitching coach Daniel Moskos] and [catcher Liam] Hicks a little bit after that inning about what we wanted to do to be ... more unpredictable, and be able to beat what we thought their gameplan was. And so I thought we did a really good job of that, until ... the one pitch in the sixth [to Varsho], I really wish I could have back.”

Gusto pitched with gusto in innings two through five. He faced four batters in the third, while pinpointing double-play pitches in the second and fourth innings that helped him escape in facing just three batters.

Gusto specified that coaxing double-play balls was part of his gameplan, while celebrating the skill of his infield.

“When you get a guy on first base with less than two outs, you’re pitching for a double play,” he said. “You’re trying to execute pitches in a way that’ll get that ground ball, so I was really happy that that worked out in my favor those couple of times.

“It’s kind of sick. I’m new to the team, to these guys, but watching them make the plays that they made tonight definitely gives you a lot of confidence to just go out there and keep executing, and attacking and throwing strikes, because you know the guys behind you are going to make the play. So that is a really big boost there.”

The only stat missing from Gusto’s line Friday: A strikeout, which he was keenly aware of.

“I would definitely love some strikeouts to be on that line as well,” Gusto said. “I think that I was a little bit too uncompetitive with some of my two-strike offerings. And then, I think that they are a good bat-to-ball team.”

It may not have been a head-turning showing for the righty from Florida SouthWestern State College. But Gusto, who’s now 7-6 with a 5.05 ERA, is a player Miami specifically targeted at the Trade Deadline.

And Gusto is eager to show Marlins fans all that’s he's capable of in familiar territory.

“The Marlins wanted me,” he said. “They traded for me, so they had some plans for my arsenal and some adjustments that I could make. So I think finishing the season out is -- in large part -- making those adjustments that they wanted to see, and really trying to see some success with that, and put me in a really good situation for next year.”