Cardinals battle Marlins for edge in NL wild-card race
MIAMI -- On July 3, Andrew Cashner came back from the disabled list after dealing with a strained neck.
Now the Miami Marlins -- who acquired Cashner from the San Diego Padres on Friday -- are hoping he is a pain in the neck for opponents. That starts with Sunday's game, when he makes his Marlins debut against St. Louis right-hander Carlos Martinez (10-6, 2.87 ERA).
The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 11-0 on Saturday night, leaving the teams tied with identical records of 56-48 as they battle for the second and final NL wild-card playoff berth.
But the loss may have been damaging for the Marlins because starter Colin Rea left after 3 1/3 innings because of an elbow injury. Rea's injury puts even more stress on a Marlins rotation that is already without Wei-Yin Chen, who is on the disabled list with an elbow injury.
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Cashner, who was the Chicago Cubs' first-round pick (19th overall) in 2008, can make the Marlins feel a lot better about their rotation with a big-time start Sunday.
With an average fastball of 94 mph, Cashner has power stuff, but he is only 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA this season. He is flirting with what would be his second straight year with an ERA higher than 4.30 and his third consecutive losing season.
Since 2014, Cashner is 15-30. So it seems a bit foolish to count on Cashner to be some sort of savior.
"This is a playoff team," Marlins general manager Michael Hill said Friday.
But the Marlins will likely have to beat out the Cardinals to get a wild-card playoff berth.
