The Marlins came up short against the Braves on Tuesday night, falling 4-2 in the series opener, but the bigger takeaway for Miami was the kind of start Ryan Gusto gave them.
Gusto turned in his best outing of the season, and he did it against one of the National League’s top clubs. The veteran right-hander worked six innings, allowed one run on five hits, struck out five and didn’t issue a walk. Against that kind of lineup, that’s the sort of performance that keeps a team alive deep into the night.
Miami had chances to cash in on it, too. The offense just couldn’t do much until the ninth inning, when the Marlins finally pushed across their only two runs against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. By then, the hole was too deep.
The finish was aggressive. Manager Clayton McCullough tried to manufacture one more big moment by going for a double steal of second and third, but Jakob Marsee was thrown out at third by catcher Drake Baldwin. The gamble didn’t pay off, and the rally stopped there.
Even with the loss attached to his line, Gusto hardly pitched like a loser. He matched Braves starter Grant Holmes inning for inning, with both men throwing six innings and allowing one run or fewer. Gusto simply got stuck with the wrong result.
That matters for a Marlins rotation that still has questions. With uncertainty around ace Max Meyer and no clear third starter behind Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez, Gusto has a real opening to become part of the answer. The catch is consistency - he has to keep doing this if McCullough is going to trust him going forward.
Still, this was the kind of night that gets attention inside a clubhouse. Gusto showed he can go right at strong competition and hold his own.
If he can keep giving Miami outings like this the rest of the way, he could settle in as a dependable third option while Meyer is out. And once Meyer returns, Gusto could still be in the mix as a solid fourth starter and a pitcher worth watching.
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There is still a path for Miami to make this interesting, and not just in the standings. The Marlins are also chasing a finish above .500, which would give the season a more respectable final line even if the postseason chase comes up short. If the gap widens, the focus could shift toward playing spoiler for other contenders and managing pitcher workloads carefully, especially with so much riding on how the staff holds up down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]