SAN DIEGO _ Nick Margevicius came back for his second big-league stint as the same pitcher he was at the beginning of his first big-league stint.
But what he had been for three starts earlier this season, he was for just three innings on Saturday.
Then suddenly, the 22-year-old left-hander couldn't get an out, as a number of his poorly placed pitches helped launch the Miami Marlins to a 9-3 victory at Petco Park.
Six straight Marlins batters reached base to start the fourth inning before San Diego Padres manager Andy Green came out to remove the rookie.
Margevicius retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. Among the 35 pitches he took to get through those three innings were just a handful as meaty as the several fat pitches he offered up in the fourth inning.
Margevicius threw 18 pitches in the fourth, including three fastballs and a curve up in the zone and one fastball on the inside edge that turned into three singles and a pair of doubles. He also issued a four-pitch walk.
Luis Perdomo replaced Margevicius and got two outs before a line drive in and out of first baseman Eric Hosmer's glove loaded the bases. Garrett Cooper's single made it 5-2 before Perdomo ended the inning by striking out Brian Anderson.
Bryan Holaday's two-run homer off Adam Warren put the Marlins up 7-2 in the sixth inning. They added two runs off Robbie Erlin in the ninth.
The Padres struggled with Marlins starter Jose Urena's fastball, which routinely topped 95 mph and occasionally hit 97. They had just one hit through five innings and three hits in Urena's six innings.
Josh Naylors' first career home run provided a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Padres' next hit would be Greg Garcia's single leading off the sixth, and Garcia scored from third on Hosmer's two-out single.
Ian Kinsler's one-out single in the seventh was their only other hit.
Margevicius allowed just one run in each of his first three starts but posted a 6.75 ERA over his next six outings. He was sent down to Double-A on May 18 for the dual purpose of getting some rest and working on his command.
After Saturday, the question becomes whether his next start is for the Padres or the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
.png?w=600)
