Junk (shin) throws 61 pitches in rehab start

Junk suffered the injury when he was hit by a comebacker during Monday’s start against the Blue Jays. The Marlins had been hopeful that he would be able to make his scheduled start on Sunday, but Junk did not improve at all throughout the week, so they’ll sit him down for a bit to make sure that it heals properly. John King will start a bullpen game for the Marlins on Sunday.

Junk surrendered eight hits for the second straight start, but they came with greatly reduced exit velocities this time around after getting torched for eight runs by the Braves his last time out. He managed to limit the Blue Jays to just an RBI single by rookie Yohendrick Piñango as all eight hits he gave up were singles. He struck out three and didn’t hand out a free pass. He’ll face the division-rival Mets to finish off a two-start week on Sunday.

Things weren’t going too bad for Junk until he came out for the sixth inning. To that point, the only runs he’d given up came via a three-run home run by Austin Riley. Then, he retired 11 batters in a row to get through five innings and it was shaping up to be a fine start. Yet, five straight Braves’ hits to begin the sixth which culminated in a three-run home run by Dom Smith turned Junk’s outing into a catastrophe. He didn’t make any really bad pitches that inning either, it was just a lot of impressive hitting on balls that were on the edges. After this poor start, Junk has a 5.07 ERA and is scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Blue Jays and Mets with both starts on the road.

Junk retired the first two batters he faced on the day, but walked Jonathan Aranda to set up Yandy Díaz for a two-run homer that gave the Rays an early lead in the first frame. Junk would give up two more runs in the second inning, allowing Richie Palacios to score on a sacrifice fly and Cedric Mullins to be driven home on a fielder’s choice. After keeping the rays off the board in the third inning, Junk would allow two more runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Taylor Walls, but bounced back to pitch a scoreless fifth inning before being pulled with two outs in the sixth. Junk has had a rough two-game stretch, allowing 11 earned runs in his last two outings while also letting 22 runners reach base. He’ll look to bounce back in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against a tough Braves team.

Junk served up a solo homer to James Wood to open the game. Three more hits would bring another pair of runs in before Junk could escape the first inning. The Nationals plated one more run in the third on a triple and a sacrifice fly. Junk settled in to give the Marlins three more scoreless innings, ending his day after six with six strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 3.25 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 33/10 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings into a start against the Rays in Tampa Bay on Friday.

Junk’s lone mistake was a sweeper that he left over the heart of the plate to Phillies star Bryce Harper, who made him pay for it by sending the baseball 393 feet into the right-center field seats. He finished with six strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. He isn’t overpowering, despite a noticeable uptick in fastball velocity this season, but he continues to effectively mix speeds and locations to keep hitters off balance and avoid hard contact. He’ll bring a sparkling 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 27/8 K/BB ratio across 38 1/3 innings into a home outing against the Nationals on Saturday to close out a two-start week.

Junk stranded the bases loaded in the first inning, then settled in to blank the Dodgers over six frames. He scattered three hits in all and one walk while striking out four. That’s now 11 scoreless innings with four hits and two walks allowed over his last two starts. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 21/8 K/BB ratio across 33 innings into a start against the Phillies in Miami on Monday.

Junk was incredibly efficient, throwing 78 percent of his first pitches for strikes and piling up a 34 percent CSW. He leaned on his four-seamer more than usual in this one and got 17 percent whiffs on it despite it not having the usual vertical movement that we’ve seen this season. However, it was around the zone all day, and then he picked up whiffs with his changeup. This may have more to do with the offense he was facing than anything, but Junk has been solid this season and remains on the streamer radar. You just may want to avoid it next week against the Dodgers.

Junk pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, but loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. After putting Luis Rengifo on first via an HBP, Junk then allowed a single to Garrett Mitchell, which scored Gary Sanchez from third. An RBI by Greg Jones on a fielder’s choice, followed by Rengifo coming around to score on a throwing error, suddenly gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead. Junk would return to pitch a scoreless fifth and was pulled with one out in the sixth inning after walking Jake Bauers and allowing an RBI double to Rengifo to bring home Bauers on the next at-bat. Junk has allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his four starts. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Junk’s velocity spike disappeared on a 52-degree day in Detroit; he averaged 92.8 mph with his fastball, down from 95.4 and 94.5 in his first two starts. We’ll find out whether it was an aberration when he returns home to face the Brewers next week. He’s now 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA through three starts, and his spot might soon be in danger with Braxton Garrett performing well in Triple-A.