PITTSBURGH _ A.J. Ramos' simulated pitching session prior to Friday night's game went well, giving the Marlins hope he will return as early as Sunday.
Ramos said he threw about 25 pitches off the mound and felt as good as he had since sustaining a hairline fracture to his right middle finger. Ramos injured his finger while fielding a bunt on July 25 and gave up three runs in a non-save situation.
Ramos, a first-time All-Star in 2016, has converted 32 saves in 34 chances this season but has not pitched since Aug. 5 in Colorado, just two days after giving up three runs and suffering his second blown save against the Cubs.
"I had very, very minimal pain [Friday]," Ramos said. "That's the best I felt since before I hurt it. My arm felt great and the finger felt great. Changeup was good, fastball, everything was in the zone."
Should Ramos pitch Sunday, he would have a chance to rest during the Marlins' day off Monday and see how he responds from the injury without having to pitch back-to-back days.
"A.J. looked really good [Friday]," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "The balls were right there in the zone and hitting the edges. His command was good. His pitches were sharp."
Now, it's just a matter of him bouncing back [physically] on Saturday. If he does, we expect to activate him Sunday."
Fernando Rodney has been closing games in Ramos' absence. Rodney, who converted all 17 save opportunities as the Padres' closer, struggled in a setup role with the Marlins, posting a 6.46 ERA in 15 1/3 innings. Since switching back to a ninth-inning role, Rodney has converted all four of his save chances and has allowed only one run in six innings.
Ramos isn't sure if he will immediately slide back into the closer's role upon his return and said he's only concerned about helping the team win.
"If I'm feeling normal, I want to close," Ramos said. "But Fernando has been doing a great job. I don't want to mess up any of the positive that we've gained by me going in there and not feeling well. I want to be able to compete at my normal level and go from there. We need every win we can get right now."
