3 years agoMiami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender struggled a bit in Friday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. Bender pitched the seventh inning with the team trailing 1-0 and gave up two runs on two hits. He also hit Ronald Acuña with an 82 mph slider that must have somehow almost killed the poor batter based on his reaction. Bender seemed rattled by Acuña heading toward the mound with his bat in hand, and he struggled to make it through the rest of the inning. Before the game, manager Don Mattingly made it clear that Bender was not the closer and that Yimi Garcia, who has allowed 10 runs in his last 11 innings, would retain his closer's role.--David A Marcillo - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com