Reed embraces fresh start with Marlins

MIAMI -- Chris Reed and Jose Fernandez are now teammates, but back in 2011, they were selected two picks apart in the Draft. Fernandez -- the Marlins' ace -- went to Miami with the 14th pick, while Reed was chosen by the Dodgers with the 16th selection.

They certainly took different paths to the Majors, though, as Reed -- a 25-year-old lefty reliever -- made his big league debut Saturday night with Miami after coming to the Marlins in a mid-July trade. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Fernandez was much quicker, as he's been pitching in MLB since 2013 -- not that Reed feels like he's behind schedule.

"Jose's a freak," he said. "It's not always that case."

Reed was acquired on July 15 by the Marlins, who sent lefty Grant Dayton to the Dodgers. He is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as Miami's No. 28 prospect.

Before he made his debut on Saturday -- tossing two scoreless innings in a 5-3 loss -- the Los Angeles native struggled in his hometown team's organization. He went 0-3 with a 10.97 ERA for Triple-A Albuquerque in 2014, and, prior to the trade, he did most of his work this season with Double-A Tulsa (2-2, 7.23 ERA).

"I just viewed it as a fresh start and was grateful for the opportunity that the Marlins gave me," Reed said of the trade.

He ran with it, compiling a 1.42 ERA in five appearances in Triple-A New Orleans. Then, after the Marlins made numerous trades in the past week, the lefty was called up to Miami prior to Saturday's game. He pitched the eighth and ninth, allowing only one hit as he threw just 12 pitches (11 strikes).

"It's like a whirlwind of emotions, honestly," Reed said of his debut. "You're nervous, excited -- and then before you know it, it's crunch time and you do what you do best."

While it wasn't the quickest path to the Majors, Reed will now try to carve out his spot in the Marlins' bullpen for the remainder of the season -- possibly helping finish the starts of Fernandez along the way.

"To be here playing with him is pretty cool," Reed said.