Takeaways: Puk Gets Shelled Again as Marlins Fall 8-3 to Cubs

The Miami Marlins lose big as Cubs take series opener 8-3 on Friday.

Apr 3, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher A.J. Puk (35) gets a visit to the / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins fell behind big early on and were never able to come back as they lost 8-3 to the Chicago Cubs in a Wrigley Field day game on Friday.

Here is everything you need to know about the game:

The A.J. Puk starter experience needs to end

This game felt like it was going to be impossible to win early on, as Puk allowed a huge lead in his first three innings of work.

His command was still struggling today, as he walked three batters and hit another. All four batters that were given free bases would eventually go on to score.

The tall lefty gave up seven earned runs on seven hits. His ERA is up to 9.22 with a good chance to balloon over 10 if he is indeed still starting for the Atlanta Braves series next week.

Marlins defense takes another step back

They had a couple of nice games in a row, but today was another poor showing by the Marlins defense. There was a shortage of web gems on the Miami side -- though the Chicago defense had a couple of beauties.

Josh Bell, in particular, had a poor showing at first base. He's not known for his defensive prowess, but it was hard to ignore in this one. Nico Hoerner's first double that brought home two runners deflected off of his glove before reaching the outfield.

Up by two early 👏 #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/4gp6ipJEeO

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 19, 2024

Bullpen finally comes through in tough spot

Even though the team still lost, the bullpen did not implode in this one. The offense never had them back in a chance to win, but that wasn't the point.

They needed to preserve arms today with the double header tomorrow and your starter only lasting three innings is a bad sign.

The Marlins were able to survive while only using three more arms. The bullpen allowed one run on three hits in five innings of work.

What's next for the Marlins?

The Marlins play a doubleheader tomorrow against the Cubs; game one is at 2:20 PM ET with Jesús Luzardo taking on Javier Assad, and the makeup is scheduled for 7:40 PM ET with call-up Roddery Muñoz squaring off against dynamic rookie Shota Imanaga.