Ryan Gusto limits Giants to one earned run

Gusto gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four. Gusto pitched well again, but still doesn’t have much fantasy value because he’s a converted reliever and hasn’t completed a five inning start all year. With Eury Perez coming back next week, Gusto isn’t schedule to get another start.

Gusto surrendered plenty of hard contact in this one as he was tagged for eight hits, including homers by Gabriel Rincones Jr. and J.T. Realmuto. He walked three batters and only recorded one strikeout. The 27-year-old has yet to complete five frames through three starts since joining Miami’s rotation back on June 5. He’s not a recommended fantasy option when he faces the Giants at home on Saturday.

This was both Gusto’s longest major league outing this season and his most effective. He mixed six different pitches and worked the edges of the plate well with each of them. There wasn’t much hard contact either despite him only forcing five swings-and-misses. Also, he worked up to 66 pitches after throwing 40 and then 33 in his two prior outings. He’s lined up to face the Phillies on the road next.

It was a tough night from the start for Gusto on Friday, who allowed four runners to reach base in the first inning, with three of them coming around to score. A two-RBI triple by Richie Palacios put the Rays on the board, and Palacios would later come around to score on a single by Ryan Vilade. Gusto would pitch a scoreless second inning before being pulled in favor of Tyler Phillips to start the third. Gusto, who was called up earlier this week, served as the opener for the Marlins but also has experience out of the bullpen. We wouldn’t expect this to become the norm for him just yet, but if he were to draw another start in five days, he would be slated to face the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Gusto has previously worked as a starter, but he’s been both a starter and reliever for the Marlins in Triple-A, posting a 3.83 ERA and 52/17 K/BB ratio in 44 2/3 innings across 10 appearances (seven starts). The 27-year-old is also striking out more batters than he ever has in his minor league career, in part, due to a revamped slider, which is two mph harder and has become a bigger part of his arsenal. Equipped with a six-pitch mix, Gusto could find himself on the streaming radar if that slider has taken a legitimate step forward.

It’s so odd seeing Garrett struggle with his control like this. He walked eight in just 4 1/3 innings over his two starts for the Marlins. Prior to his elbow surgery, he had just a 4.8 percent walk rate from 2022-24. The Marlins will surely give him another try once things improve. In the meantime, they could try Bradley Blalock or Ryan Gusto.

Gusto was up while Pete Fairbanks was on the Paternity List, so he will now head back to Triple-A after throwing one scoreless inning out of the bullpen for the Marlins.

With Pete Fairbanks going on Paternity Leave, Gusto will be called up to give some length to the Miami bullpen.

We’re not so sure Mack isn’t the Marlins’ best option behind the plate right now, but the team is committed to Agustín Ramírez for the moment and Liam Hicks will stick as the backup. Mack, who is the team’s best defensive catcher, went 3-for-24 with a homer this spring.

Gusto became a little more important to the Marlins with Adam Mazur requiring season-ending surgery, but he’s still only a rotation candidate if someone gets hurt. He has a 4.66 ERA and a 7/2 K/BB in 9 2/3 innings this spring.