Mat Latos Marlins Debut Ended with Him Sporting an 94.50 ERA

Mat Latos put forth a dream debut in a Miami Marlins uniform Tuesday night vs. the Atlanta Braves. Or the exact opposite. Atlanta knocked Latos — who grew up in South Florida — for seven runs over 2/3 of an inning. Luckily the Braves, up 6-0 at the time, decided to bunt their pitcher Alex Wood to mercifully help Latos pick up the second out of the inning.

Brad Hand replaced Latos and got out of the inning. All told the Braves sent 12 players to the plate in the first.

Accordingly, many people took screencaps with their phones to document Latos’ 94.50 ERA:

I will make a bold, hot prediction: Latos will finish with an ERA under, say, 80.32 by the time September rolls around.  That said, I’m not sure if this is more or less embarrassing than the Opening Day debacle at Marlins Park when the roofed failed to close in time, prompting a rain delay.

The Marlins are a trendy Wild Card team, but their Jose Fernandez-less rotation doesn’t inspire much confidence. Latos came to the Marlins via an offseason trade with the Reds.

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[photo via USAT]