Marlins starter Oller starts strong before a shaky sixth inning in loss to Phillies

The Miami Marlins entered Thursday’s series opener against the Phillies having used more players this season than ever before.

That total ticked up to 66 in the sixth inning when lefty Anthony Veneziano — claimed off waivers from the Royals two days earlier and added to the active roster Wednesday — emerged from the bullpen to hopefully bail out starter Adam Oller.

He didn’t.

The first batter Veneziano faced, Kody Clemens, stroked a two-run double to left field. Clemens then advanced from first to third on an infield single and scored on a wild pitch.

Suddenly, an inning that began with Oller trending toward a sterling outing rivaling his previous start was a four-run frame for the Phillies, who dealt the Marlins a 5-2 loss at loanDepot park.

“To be in the situation I was in going into the sixth inning, still giving the team a chance to win, I hang my hat on that for the moment,” Oller said. “But at the same time, I’m not by any means happy with the way that outing went.”

Oller finished with four runs allowed on five hits in 5 1/3 innings after giving up one run on three hits through the first five innings.

“I feel like the first five innings were really good,” said Marlins’ manager Skip Schumaker. “Overall, there’s some really good things that are happening with him.”

Oller also struck out six and walked five, including two walks in the first inning that set up Bryson Stott’s run-scoring single.

That was the only scoring until Stott crushed a solo home run into the second deck in right field in the sixth. Oller then walked former Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto and surrendered a single to Brandon Marsh, leaving runners at the corners for Veneziano to confront.

Oller had a career-best performance the last time he took the mound, Aug. 30 in San Francisco, as he became the first Marlins pitcher this season to throw at least six innings without allowing a run and strike out eight or more in doing so.

That outing, coupled with Thursday’s, “should prove to him that he can be a starter at this level because he has so many pitches he can utilize if he attacks the strike zone,” Schumaker said.

Oller said he was “extremely excited” about Thursday’s start because of the opportunity to face a potent Phillies lineup for the first time.

“The frustrating part is I feel like that outing could have gone a lot different and could have been a really, really good outing for me,” he said. “I guess the positive is I made really good pitches. I got really good hitters out. And I did leave with my team having a chance to win.”

Phillies starter Ranger Suárez pitched five scoreless innings, allowing the Marlins just three hits. They finally got on the scoreboard after Suárez left with Jesús Sanchez’s pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh. Jake Burger doubled in the eighth and scored on a throwing error.

“He’s tough to figure out because he doesn’t fall into any patterns,” Schumaker said of Suárez. “The [velocity] doesn’t matter if you throw it where you want it, and he was throwing every pitch where he wanted. So, there was a lot of weak contact, unfortunately. Just couldn’t get anything going.”

With Veneziano’s debut, the Marlins are now just three shy of tying the Chicago Cubs for the all-time MLB record for players used in a season. The Cubs established that mark in 2021.

▪ Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) pitched three scoreless innings in a rehab start for Single A Jupiter on Thursday. He allowed two hits, struck out five, and walked two.

▪ Reliever Anthony Bender, on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, pitched one inning for Triple A Jacksonville on Tuesday and again Wednesday and didn’t allow a hit or run. “I think you’ll see him soon,” Schumaker said. “He came away fine, healthy, stuff was right.”

▪ Sandy Alcantara (elbow) is scheduled to have his next bullpen session Saturday. Ryan Weathers (finger) will throw four innings or 60 pitches Sunday for Triple A Jacksonville.

▪ Right-hander Emmanuel Ramirez was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment Tuesday.

▪ Evan Rodrigues, center for the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday’s game.