Ayala absent on Monday
The Marlins will be without reliever Luis Ayala on Monday night at San Diego.
The veteran right-hander returned to his home in Arizona to be with his wife, who gave birth to a baby boy when the Marlins were traveling to San Diego after Sunday’s game in Miami.
Ayala is expected to rejoin the team on Tuesday.
Florida’s bullpen already is thin after six relievers combined to throw 5 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Phillies.
The Marlins are currently carrying 13 pitchers, and the team likely will keep that number, at least through the rest of the road trip, which begins in San Diego on Monday and wraps up in Los Angeles on Sunday.
– Joe Frisaro
The Fish Pond
