Ready to roll: Marlins announce order of rotation to begin season
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Miami Marlins officially announced their rotation to open the 2015 season.
All-Star right-hander Henderson Alvarez, who was already named the Opening Day starter, will be followed by righties Mat Latos and Tom Koehler in the series against the Atlanta Braves. After an off day, right-handers Dan Haren and Jarred Cosart will start before Alvarez closes out the six-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Latos, acquired in a winter meetings trade with the Cincinnati Reds, missed the first two months of 2014 with elbow and knee injuries. He went 5-5 with a 3.25 ERA in 16 starts during his sixth big-league season. This spring, the 27-year-old is 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA in four starts. He will throw a simulation game in Jupiter on Thursday.
Koehler, Miami's fifth starter last year, finished 10-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 32 starts. He did not miss an outing and joined Alvarez as the only other member of the rotation to reach double-digit wins. The 28-year-old is 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in five appearances (four starts) this spring. He will pitch against the Greensboro minor-league affiliate on Friday in North Carolina.
Haren, part of the Dee Gordon trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter, has spent 12 seasons in the majors. In 2014, he went 13-11 with a 4.02 ERA. The 34-year-old, who will face Double-A Jacksonville on Saturday, is 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA in five starts this spring.
Cosart, who tossed six one-hit innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League finale, will be the fifth starter. His routine got pushed back by a blister on his right middle finger last week. In four starts, he went 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA. He will throw in a sim game on Monday in Jupiter to raise his pitch count to 90.
Ace Jose Fernandez, the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year, is likely out until mid-July as he continues to work back from Tommy John surgery.
Only Alvarez and Koehler were full-season members of the Marlins rotation last season. Cosart joined Miami in mid-2014 as part of a deadline deal with the Houston Astros.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
