JUPITER, Fla. -- If anyone needs a reminder that it's only Spring Training and there's a long way to go until the real stuff starts, consider Gerrit Cole's day of work on Tuesday: five minutes on the mound, eight pitches, four strikes...and done.

This was always the plan. Even if Cole wasn't anticipating his start against the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to be quite this efficient, it was pretty close to what he had intended, which was favoring quality over quantity.

"The focus was to rep out every pitch with as much focus and attention as I could and then just carry that over and build on volume from that, as opposed to checking boxes with volume," Cole said. "I could have gone out there and thrown two [innings], but I didn't want to push it to where I'd throw 25, 30, 35 [pitches] and get into a position where they had to take me out on a low note or get tired."

Cole worked on his offspeed pitches in the bullpen, and he focused mostly on fastballs during the game. He threw seven fastballs and one curveball.

"I was trying to focus on having some in the tank and really honing in on the quality early and letting the rope go a little bit later," Cole said. "I was happy with every pitch I threw. I got after every ball. I was around the zone."

Miley's debut pushed up

Left-hander Wade Miley followed Cole with two scoreless innings, walking one. He faced seven batters in Houston's 3-0 loss to the Marlins.

“I fell behind, especially the second inning,” Miley said. “I was able to get back in and get some ground balls when I was looking for them. Overall, it was a good first outing to get back there and see some decent results.”

Miley was originally scheduled to start Wednesday's game, but he was moved up in anticipation of inclement weather, which is supposed to hit the east coast of Florida around the same time the Astros-Nationals game is scheduled to begin.

Devo a ROOGY?

Two seasons ago, Chris Devenski made his first career All-Star team and helped the Astros win a World Series. Today, he's not getting quite as much attention as when he first emerged as one of the Astros' most reliable bullpen arms, but that doesn't mean the club doesn't envision a role for him in 2019.

Devenski's success against left-handers has made him a valuable option among the many relievers auditioning for jobs, and some within the organization have semi-joked that the right-hander may be the best lefty specialist on the roster. That quality is likely to help him maintain his status as an active member of the Astros' relief corps, even given his struggles in the second half of last season.

"He's a big part of getting a complete bullpen back together," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "He was such a troubleshooter for us during the previous couple seasons. He made the All-Star team, he was our go-to guy."

Lefties have hit .188 off Devenski in his career, striking out 143 times in 432 at-bats. His changeup is his biggest weapon -- last year, he threw it 39.2 percent of the time, compared to 41.6 percent with his fastball and 19.2 percent with the slider.

"It's just part of my arsenal, and having that changeup, being able to do multiple things and being able to put it in certain locations really helps me," Devenski said.

Devenski performed well in the first half, recording a 2.33 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, but he struggled in the second half, especially immediately after the All-Star break, pitching to a 12.46 ERA and 2.08 WHIP.

This spring, Hinch is hoping to see Devenski refine his fastball, "both in velocity and finish."

"When he can put his fastball where he wants to, his changeup plays off it that much better," Hinch said.

Up next

Weather permitting, the Astros will play the Nationals at 12:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, with Washington acting as the host team. Collin McHugh, who was originally scheduled to appear in relief in that game, will start instead. Jose Altuve is expected to play and will serve as Houston's designated hitter. The Nationals have not yet announced a starting pitcher.