Marlins notes: Adam Conley's call-up leads to family adventure
TORONTO -- Adam Conley's call-up for the Miami Marlins will be a story to tell for years to come.
This past weekend with Triple-A New Orleans visiting Tacoma, Washington, for a series, family and friends gathered in his hometown to watch him pitch. Both his wife and 14-week-old daughter made the trip.
At 4 p.m. Sunday, Conley was told he would be joining the big-league ballclub in Toronto for the Blue Jays series -- meaning he would need his passport to cross borders. His daughter doesn't have one, so Conley's wife and infant flew into Buffalo before driving across the border -- with the little one's birth certificate -- into Toronto to see him pitch in the big leagues.
"It's a little crazy, but like I said before a great opportunity," Conley said. "I'm humbled and honored for it. We're just going to embrace it all. It's not perfect, but it's totally worth it. We're on board. It's going to be fun."
The 25-year-old left-hander, selected in the second round of the 2011 draft out of Washington State University, will throw out of the bullpen with right-hander Bryan Morris on the 15-disabled list with a lower back strain.
"He gives us another left-hander," manager Dan Jennings said. "Right now we'll utilize him out of the bullpen. With BeMo going on the DL with the back strain I think having a second left-hander right now is a nice option to have. In Adam's case, we saw him all through spring training. He was a bullpen arm in college, so flipping back to that capacity should not be an issue."
Conley held a 5-2 record and a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts with the Zephyrs this season. In five minor-league seasons, he is 30-20 with a 3.72 ERA in 77 games (73 starts).
Last year, elbow injuries hampered Conley, who went on the disabled list twice for the first times in his career. He struggled with a 3-6 record and 5.95 ERA over 13 games (12 starts) between Single-A Jupiter for rehab and the Zephyrs.
"I've been throwing the ball well in Triple-A, just been working on the process of pitching and consistently pitch to my strength down there," Conley said. "... Right now it kind of feels like pitching is pitching. I'm excited for the opportunity. The mound's the same distance from the plate, the bases are the same size and all that stuff. I was actually kind of thinking of it today as almost like I got traded and just playing in a different league. It's not a different game or anything. It's going to be a new experience for me, new atmosphere and I'm excited about that. It'll be fun."
INJURY UPDATES
Right-hander Mat Latos (left knee inflammation) pitched Monday night for Triple-A New Orleans. Righty Jarred Cosart (vertigo) will pitch on Thursday with the Zephyrs, while ace Jose Fernandez (Tommy John surgery) will make his second rehab start on Friday for Single-A Jupiter.
Should all go according to plan for both Latos and Cosart in their first official rehab outings, those could mark their last before being reinstated from the disabled list. Both will try to get to 90-100 pitches.
"It very well could be," Jennings said. "A lot of that will be determined based upon how they throw if they're crisp and effective. If not, if it's perceived they need one more, then that could be an option as well."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
