After humbling month in minor leagues, Edward Cabrera is back — and the Marlins need him

Edward Cabrera had just maneuvered through his first inning back with the Miami Marlins in just more than a month when he got a bit of a breather. After the right-handed pitcher held the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless in the fifth inning, working around a pair of walks with three strikeouts in a 26-pitch scoreless frame, the Marlins’ offense erupted in the bottom half of the inning with nine runs on eight hits (including three home runs).

“It was great to see all of that,” Cabrera said. “Automatically, I said ‘I have to go out there and keep this game the same. We won this game. We’ve got to keep it like that.’”

Cabrera certainly did his part. He threw four shutout innings overall, allowing just the two walks and one single while striking out eight as Miami coasted to an 11-4, series-clinching win over the Dodgers on Wednesday at loanDepot park. It was the Marlins’ sixth consecutive win, tying a season high, and brought them back into the National League’s third and final wild card spot with 23 games left to play.

“He went out,” catcher Jacob Stallings said, “and did exactly what we needed him to do.”

When boiled down to the basics, that means throwing strikes, pounding the zone and attacking hitters with everything he has. Cabrera’s arsenal of pitches is lethal when he has his command. His fastball averages 96 mph. His changeup, curveball and (used to a lesser extent) slider all induce high swing-and-miss rates.

But command has eluded Cabrera at times this season. He allowed at least four walks in seven of his first 17 starts this season. It hampered Cabrera’s production to the point that the Marlins sent him to the minor leagues for the month of August to figure things out.

“It makes you mad at times,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said, “because he’s so nasty. You talk to other people and opposing teams after they face him and they say he’s got the best stuff in the game. If he’s in the zone, this is what you get.”

After a rough fifth inning, Cabrera was in the zone Wednesday. The only hit he allowed was a two-out single to Jason Heyward in the sixth inning. After that, Cabrera retired the final seven batters he faced.

Of his 72 pitches thrown, 49 landed for strikes. This included 11 whiffs on 35 swings from Dodgers hitters.

“It meant a lot to get back after the two walks,” Cabrera said. “My focus has been attacking the zone. I was able to do that.”

Wednesday’s performance was a month in the making. Cabrera made five starts with Triple A Jacksonville after the demotion, pitching to a 2.22 ERA with 30 strikeouts against 12 walks over 28 1/3 innings. Five of the walks came in one outing. He had two or fewer in each of the other four.

While the news of the demotion came as a surprise to Cabrera in the moment — “It’s not good news, something like that,” he said — the 25-year-old did what he could to “find the positive.”

“I knew where I needed to get better so I can come back here right away,” Cabrera said. “I did. And now we’re back here.”

And it comes perhaps when he is needed the most. The Marlins on Wednesday placed ace and reigning Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm flexor strain. It’s a major hit to the starting rotation, a group that beyond Alcantara and Johnny Cueto is filled with young but talented pitchers who are either approaching or have already exceeded their single-season career innings pitched. It has Schumaker in the midst of a balancing act between pushing his players in the midst of a playoff run and making sure they don’t mortgage their futures.

Schumaker said multiple times Wednesday the Marlins will have to be “creative” with how they handle their pitching staff. That could vary from playing with the rotation order to maximize off days or using relievers to open games and have the young starters pitch in relief with lesser workloads, like Cabrera did on Wednesday.

“Guys are going to have to provide length,” Schumaker said. “We’re not just going to kill our bullpen, but for Cabrera to do that [pitch multiple innings in relief on Wednesday] was excellent.”

And Cabrera is open to whatever job the Marlins give him. There’s a playoff spot to chase. His focus is contributing in whatever way is needed.

“Being here is the most important part,” Cabrera said. “Being here, helping my teammates, helping the team. It doesn’t matter what’s going to be my role. If I’m coming out of the bullpen or starting games, the most important part is about helping the team.”