Bryan Hoeing hit hard in MLB debut as Miami Marlins routed by Los Angeles Dodgers

Bryan Hoeing found himself in a simultaneously enviable yet unenviable situation on Saturday.

The enviable: The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher was making his MLB debut, a lifelong dream since he started playing in Batesville, Indiana.

The unenviable: That debut was coming against one of the league’s best lineups in the Los Angeles Dodgers ... on the road ... a day before he was originally scheduled to start in the minor leagues ... with just hours to prepare after flying cross-country the morning of the game.

And while he showed the occasional flash of what his potential might be, the Dodgers got the best of him.

Hoeing lasted just three innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits (including a pair of three-run home runs) in the Miami Marlins’ 7-0 loss at Dodger Stadium. Miami is now 52-68 on the season. The Dodgers are now 83-36.

Hoeing, the Marlins’ fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Louisville, is just the fourth pitcher in Marlins history to give up at least seven earned runs in his MLB debut, joining Elih Villanueva (eight earned runs in three innings on June 15, 2011), Joe Fontenot (seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings on May 23, 1998) and Kurt Miller (seven earned runs in four innings on June 11, 1994).

“It’s not always about the scoreboard and obviously the scoreboard did not go the way I wanted it to,” Hoeing said, “but at the end of the day, I did make some quality pitches out there and competed out there on the mound. That’s all you can ask for.”

Especially considering the situation.

Hoeing’s debut came essentially out of necessity as the Marlins’ rotation took yet another hit.

Miami placed left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, who was scheduled to start Saturday, on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain that manager Don Mattingly said Garrett sustained playing catch Friday.

Max Meyer and Cody Poteet both had season-ending Tommy John surgery. Jordan Holloway also had elbow surgery. Trevor Rogers is on the injured list with back spasms. Daniel Castano is on the concussion IL. And Nick Neidert is on the minor-league IL.

The Marlins were also without Jesus Luzardo and Edward Cabrera for about two months earlier this season as they respectively dealt with a left forearm strain and right elbow tendonitis.

And that doesn’t even factor in one-time top prospect Sixto Sanchez, who hasn’t pitched in a live game since his start in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Oct. 8, 2020, as he deals with a lingering shoulder injury.

So Hoeing, who spent all of last season with High A Beloit and had a 4.25 ERA in 20 minor-league starts this seaosn (four with Double A Pensacola and 16 with Triple A Jacksonville), flew to Los Angeles on Saturday morning and got to the ballpark about five hours before first pitch. He found out he was starting when he got to Dodger Stadium.

“That was when it initially hit me,” Hoeing said.

Mattingly added: “You do bring guys out of necessity at times and we’ve had a lot of injuries to our rotation, our starting pitchers. Even if you know [Garrett’s injury] is coming, we probably do things a little differently ... where you wouldn’t put a guy in a position to be flying across the country and pitching on the same day. You don’t want to do it but some things just happen and you can’t control them.”

His outing started about as good as he could have hoped. Hoeing, a groundball specialist who relies primarily on his sinker, got Mookie Betts to hit a groundout to shortstop Miguel Rojas for an easy out.

After that? Trouble ensued.

Trea Turner hit a dribbler down the third-base line that stayed fair and Freddie Freeman followed with a line-drive single to right before Dodgers catcher Will Smith, Hoeing’s college teammate for a season at Louisville, launched a home run to left field to put Miami in an early 3-0 hole.

Hoeing rebounded in the second inning, working around a Cody Bellinger one-out walk by getting Austin Barnes to hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers then opened the third inning with three consecutive singles — Betts beating the shift, Trea Turner on an infield hit and Freeman beating the shift to drive in a run — before Justin Turner hit the Dodgers’ second three-run home run against Hoeing.

“They can hit,” Hoeing said. “You’ve gotta give them credit. They’re good, too. You’ve got to execute. Little mistakes here, as you saw tonight, they do some damage.”

As for the offense...

The Marlins were shut out for the 13th time this season and have now gone 21 consecutive games scoring four runs or fewer. They are the first team with a stretch at least that long since the Baltimore Orioles in September 1992. The MLB record is 26 games, done four times.

Miami loaded the bases in the first inning on a Joey Wendle leadoff single and consecutive two-out walks by JJ Bleday and Brian Anderson. Both were stranded when Dustin May, pitching in his first MLB game of the season, struck out Nick Fortes.

The Marlins, who struck out 15 times total on Saturday, wouldn’t get another baserunner until after May left the game when Jon Berti hit an infield single against reliever Caleb Ferguson in the sixth inning.