The pitch looked harmless enough, a 90-mph fastball that was fouled off by the Pirates’ Starling Marte. Only there was nothing harmless about it, which became obvious to all when Dan Straily indicated a serious problem by transferring his glove to his right hand and using it to signal the Marlins dugout.
That problem, as it turned out, was a strained left oblique, ending not only the pitcher’s night, but very likely his season and quite possibly his Marlins career. Straily joined Pablo Lopez as the second starting pitcher in a week to go down for the Marlins, thinning the rotation further as the end of the season draws closer.