Vargas Started Strong, But Hit Wall In Fifth Inning Saturday
Through the first four innings of Jason Vargas‘ start on Saturday, things were peachy keen. Then in the fifth, he hit a brick wall.
Vargas, 36, had gotten off to a splendid start in Spring Training 2019, carrying a 1.03 ERA through three games into Saturday’s bout against the Miami Marlins.
His good fortunes initially carried over in his fourth start. Staked to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Michael Conforto home run, Vargas worked around a single in the bottom of the first to keep Miami at bay.
In the second, Vargas yielded a walk to Peter O’Brien, who promptly stole second base, but failed to score as the southpaw concluded the inning with a ground out and a strike out.
The third saw much of the same, as the California native yielded a single in the frame, but kept the Marlins off the board.
The fourth inning was perhaps Vargas at his most dominant, as he retired the side in order and logged two more punch outs. However in the fifth is where it unraveled. The veteran was hit hard, and surrendered three runs before being removed in favor of Robert Gsellman.
Gsellman allowed one more inherited runner to score, as Vargas’ ERA spiked up to 3.65.
With under two weeks until the season opener, Vargas will likely get a couple more starts to try and polish his game up.
This article will be updated with quotes.