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Brad Hand turns in steady outing in reappearance in Marlins rotation
MIAMI -- The last time Miami Marlins left-hander Brad Hand started, he was pitching in another country with both Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield.
Two months later, Hand returned to the rotation without Miami's top run producers in the lineup to toss four scoreless innings in the Marlins' 5-1 loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
Hand scattered five hits with one walk and three strikeouts over 84 pitches (49 strikes). Afterward, he said he felt good enough for another frame, but his limit was 85 after not throwing more than 28 pitches since June 8 -- his last start at the Rogers Centre when he exited after 2/3 inning and six runs against the Toronto Blue Jays.
It took him 31 pitches to escape a bases-loaded jam in the first. Leadoff batter Curtis Granderson worked a full count before Hand struck him out looking on a 93 fastball. Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Uribe produced back-to-back singles and Lucas Duda flied out to left before Travis d'Arnaud walked. Wilmer Flores grounded out to short to end the threat.
The 25-year-old southpaw went to a full count with three of the first six batters, but just once over the next three innings.
"It took me a while to get comfortable again," said Hand, who threw first-pitch strikes to just half of the 18 batters faced. "Those first few innings I was kind of feeling around for everything a little bit. Settled in a little bit. I know I threw a lot of pitches in those first four batters that I got out. I threw 41 pitches in the first four outs. That's never good when you have a short pitch count. I was able to battle and get through four."
Hand did not record a clean inning, though the Mets failed to get a runner to second after the first. New York didn't collect an extra-base hit. After pitcher Jon Niese singled with one out in the second, Hand got Juan Lagares to fly out to right and Granderson to strike out on a 94 fastball.
In the third, Duda singled with two outs. Ruben Tejada singled with one out in the fourth. Hand fanned Niese on a 71 curveball and induced a fielder's choice off the bat of Lagares for his final out.
"Brad to step up and start when he's been coming out of the bullpen and to give us that effort he did," manager Dan Jennings said. "He had traffic pretty much every inning, but he navigated his way through it and made pitches when he needed to. That was huge. We felt like somewhere around that 80-85 pitch mark is about what we would hope to get."
Hand threw his slider eight times in the outing, a pitch he has been working on while playing catch. He began utilizing it in games over the last month, adding to his arsenal that already includes a fastball, curveball and changeup.
"It feels pretty good," Hand said. "It's just a feel pitch. The more you throw it out there in the games the more comfortable you'll get with it. It was just 'cause when I was coming out of the bullpen my curveball was more big and it was easier for the guys to just take it, so I needed something a little smaller and more in the zone. I've been playing around with one for years but never just brought it into a game, and I finally feel comfortable enough with it to bring it in a game."
Where do the Marlins go from here with the rotation? Did Hand do enough to warrant another start?
During batting practice, Jennings said it would not be based strictly on Tuesday's performance. Miami knows it's not Hand's fault he is out of options because the organization brought him to the big leagues at an early age in 2011.
As a starter, Hand is 5-19 with a 4.58 ERA in 35 starts. He has gone back-and-forth between the rotation and bullpen over parts of five seasons. There have been flashes of promise and moments of ineptitude.
"Just come here every day with a positive attitude and whatever they decide is totally up to them, and (I've) just got to be ready to pitch," Hand said.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
