CINCINNATI, Ohio - Guardian Sports had an opportunity to catch up with one of the country's biggest sports stars this week, and he's taking everything in stride as he battles back from a third stint on the Injury List in Major League Baseball (MLB) this season.
Jasrado 'Jazz' Chisholm Jr. returned to action with a bang Monday, pitch hitting for Nick Fortes in the top of the eighth inning, and he immediately went to work as he greeted relief pitcher Ian Gibaut with an opposite field shot to left field. That solo home run brought the Miami Marlins to within 5-2, and they went on to lose to the Cincinnati Reds by that same score at the Great American Ball Park, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tuesday and Wednesday would be a different story. The Marlins won by a single run both days, taking the middle game, 3-2, on Tuesday, and winning the rubber match of the three-day series, 5-4, on Wednesday.
Both teams are right in the thick of things in the wild card race in the National League of MLB. The Marlins have a 60-56 win/loss record, 14 games behind the league-leading Atlanta Braves in the National League East Division. After the two losses on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Reds are now 60-57. At the moment, the Marlins occupy the final spot in the wild card race for the playoffs and the Reds are just a half game behind. They also trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two and a half games in the National League Central.
As for Chisholm, the 25-year-old outfielder is batting .251 with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs (runs batted in) this season. The Bahamian star also has 15 stolen bases and 24 runs scored, putting up respectable numbers despite missing about three months of the season with various injuries. He said he is looking forward to the stretch run and being a difference maker for his team.
"It's been really frustrating... with all the injuries and missing time. I'm one of those players who love to be out there and helping my team by being on the field," said Chisholm to Guardian Sports this week. "I feel good and I feel like I'll be in the lineup for the rest of the season. This is the time for us to make a run and I feel like we could do it. We're right there. I feel like everything is coming together at the right time for us."
It's certainly coming together for him as he has hit safely in six of his last eight games since coming back from an oblique strain at the end of July. Prior to Monday, he was hitting .358 with five home runs, 10 RBIs, had two stolen bases and an 1.161 OPS (On-base plus slugging) over 13 games. He had another home run in his only at-bat on Monday and another hit yesterday.
"I'm excited for what's in store for the rest of the season. I feel like it's coming together at the right time and I just have to keep trying and keep pushing," he said. "I'm doing the best I can to stay healthy. I'm optimistic. I feel good, I like where I'm at and I'm ready to be out there everyday helping my team win if that's what it takes."
Now in his third full season, and fourth overall, Chisholm has progressed to the point where he knows what to expect from certain pitchers and to the point where he could identify pitches early in the delivery process. On the home run pitch on Monday, he said he knew Gibaut would throw him a cutter.
True to form, that is exactly what he got.
"On his first pitch, I knew he would go with his best pitch which is a fastball and he threw it and I just missed it. On the second pitch, I knew he would go with his second best pitch. I was sitting on his second best pitch, and he left it middle, and I just went after it and hit it out," said Chisholm. "It feels good, to be able to come out here and help my team is a good feeling."
Chisholm pushed a 90.6 miles per hour (mph) cutter the other way, powering it over the left field wall for his 11th home run of the season. He's creeping closer to his career-high of 18 home runs and is still within reach of a 20-20 season. Overall, Chisholm has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games.
The Marlins won in a thrilling fashion both Tuesday and Wednesday, getting a go-ahead two-run shot from Jorge Soler in the top of the seventh inning on Tuesday and two late home runs for a stunning and dramatic come-from-behind win on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Josh Bell hit his second home run of the day, a three-run shot in the eighth, and Bryan De La Cruz added a solo shot in the ninth to power the Marlins past the Reds. They trailed 4-1 in the eight before Bell blasted a shot to tie the game, 4-4, hitting home runs from opposite sides of the plate. De La Cruz's shot an inning later gave the Marlins a 5-4 lead and that's the way the game ended.
On Tuesday, they were behind 2-1 until Soler's home run.
The Marlins are off today and play a three-game series in the Bronx against the New York Yankees this weekend. Following the three games at Yankee Stadium, the Marlins will travel to Houston to take on the World Series Champions Houston Astros in a three-game series starting Monday.
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