With only 3 days left in April the Marlins remain atop the NL East, and for the second time this month return home from a winning road trip.  Sunday's game was not only the 'rubber' game for the Milwaukee series, but for the entire road trip as well.  After splitting the first 2 series against the Pirates and Braves, the Marlins earned every bit of their 2 wins in Wisconsin- against the team with the best home record in the Majors last season (according to one report I read, so I'm assuming it is correct). Sunday's win was a huge statement game, and another step forward for this ball club. 3-4 and 4-3 on a 7 game road trip might not seem like a big difference, but the good teams find ways to win games that make it a winning trip. Those extra wins go a long way in the standings later on in the season.

Every game against the Brewers was tight, and each team had chances to blow each game open, but neither really did. Maybe they were all full and lathargic from wolfing down all that Brats and cheese in ways that would make Kobayashi proud (I know I would be).  Maybe Prince Fielder turned vegan because he figured out that he would be pushing 350 this season if he didn't (and I'm not talking about his batting average)...Anyway; In the end the difference in the 2 extra-inning wins was the Florida bullpen slamming the door and giving the offense time to score.  It's a shame that starters didn't get the win in either game, especially Olsen, but you have to give the Brewers' starters some credit as well,  Their gameplan was to limit the longball against Florida, and throw as few fastballs as humanly possible to the hitters. There were a ton of 2-0, 3-1, 3-2 breaking balls and changeups thrown by the Brew crew, and not all by proven ptitchers with great command either.  I think this offense will have to make an adjustment, because the word is out now about how good they are, and they must learn some patience because they're not always going to get a fastball in a traditional fastball count.  That being said, they put good swings on some tough pithces by Mota on Friday, and in the middle innings against Parra as well. And you can live with only scoring 3 runs when your pitching is holding down the other team.

Which was one good thing to see, not only against the tough Brewers offense, but on the road trip in general. Even with Badenhop's start, which was really only one bad inning, the Marlins gave up just 22 runs in 7 games....a hair over 3 a game.  Any team will have a chance to win when the score is low, let alone one with an offense like this.  Olsen was outstanding again, lowering his ERA to just above 2, Hendrickson continues to be solid, and Nolasco- who could have easily folded in the first inning Sunday, pulled it together and kept his team in the game despite having control issues. Miller got his first win as Marlin with some Houdini-esque work of his own.  Other than the 2 solo homers given up by the lefties, the pen didn't allow another run to score the rest of the weekend series.  Good stuff all around.

So after Wes Helms told the boo-birds in Milwaukee where they can stick it, the Marlins await the Dodgers, with a few familair faces to boot; Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre.  Hopefully there won't be another 10-run outburst in the first inning like they had against the Rockies on Saturday.  Guess former Marlin Mark Redman doesn't have it anymore- Yikes.  Lowe is going to pitch Tuesday despite a sore arm.  I remember the game he pitched last year against Mitre.  That was fun to watch the 2 sinkerballers go at it for just about the whole game.  Josh 'Wheels' Willingham (who scored from first on a double this weekend) hit a game-winning homerun off Lowe in that game.  Tough homestand with 3 each against the Dodgers, Padres and Brewers.  6-3 would be nice, let's see what happens

In other news......the Marlins actaully made it on to SportsCenter this morning. They were the last 'excuse me' highlight before the top ten plays......The rotation is going to be shuffled around with Badenhop pitching between Olsen and Hendrickson.  Not only does it split up the lefties, it also gives the bullpen a breather so they won't have to pitch 15-16 innings in 3 games. Good move by Fredi.......So Baseball Tonight did a segment on a team doing the exact same thing- shuffling its roation to save the bullpen, but it was on the 4th place Yankees. Guess it's a better story when a team with the highest payroll in the league is on the cellar doorstep than when a team with the lowest payroll is in the penthouse?  Then again, bad press for the Yankees is always good news to me!

The Marlins whiffed on an opportunity to sweep on Tuesday night, falling 3-2 to the Pirates.  Their first loss in a run-run game this season came when a starter other than Olsen and Hendrickson threw a good game.  Go figure.  After all, the one encouraging sign you can take away from this game is that Nolasco looked like he is settling back in. 6 innings, three runs isn't great, but when you consider he had a 1-hit shutout through 5, he tossed a good game.  Can't win em all I guess, but the game should have certainly been tied at 3 in the 7th, and everyone knows it.  Hanley Ramirez was absolutely safe- without question- on his slow roller to third. The tying run should have scored, and Fredi was right in arguing the call.  I know Mclouth was clearly safe at second on a stolen base attempt when he was called out, but 2 wrongs don't make a right (My mother taught me well).  AND Mclouth's play wasn't a game-tying play. Horrible call.......

Almost as horrible as Nolasco and Treanor calling like 23 straight curveballs to Nady. (This is a first-guess, by the way.  I was thinking to myself 2-3 pitches before Nady got the single that Ricky needed to throw him a fastball, b/c he was sitting on the curve). A good hitter like Nady will sit on a curve if you throw him about 6 in a row...which was exactly what Nolasco did.  When he kept fouling it off, you knew he had it timed, and needed to see something else b/c he was locked in on the curveball. If Nolasco threw him a fastball, I think Nady would have been suprised. We will never know. Xavier might have clubbed a fastball for a three-run homer, but I would have liked to see Ricky not throw him so many of the same exact pitch in a row.  Then again, Nolasco didn't deserve to lose. 

One more thing...the 9th inning.  Great leadoff pinch-hit single by Hermida.  Good bunt by Amezaga, and HORRIBLE call to send Mike Rabelo up with the tying run in scoring positon with one out.  Another first guess, I was thinking when Amezaga lined up to bunt that Wes Helms should hit for Pinto.  I don't want to hear that 'righty on righty, righty on leftie' matchup crap.  Who would you rather have hitting to tie the game when you only have 2 outs left to play with? Wes Helms, who had a lot of big hits for this team in '06....and a game winner already this year, OR a catcher with a career average of .251 and a whole 22 RBI in 199 at-bats?? It is a no-brainer!!!!!! And a brainlock on the benchcoach who was managing ftl (that's for the loss, for those of you aren't in the know). I know Rabelo would have caught the 9th b/c of the hitter for Treanor, but you need to tie the game above all. He could have just been a defensive replacement. This was a horrible call by the bench, and I am shocked no one brought it up in any of the reports that I have read. They all deserve a trip on the failboat, headed by the Umpires.       

1-1 in a 2 game set isn't bad, but the Marlins had plenty of mistakes in this game that cost them a chance to win.  As a finishing point, I don't blame Willingham for not making that diving catch.  That ball by Doumit was crushed, and it was a tough play.  Also, great overlooked job by Pinto. 2 innings, 1 hit, and he kept his team in the game. How about the 0.60 ERA!!! Keep it up Reynel!  On to Atlanta.  It's time for Miller to throw a good game.  Let's see what happens.  Fish are still in first place!!!!

At the end of the third week of the season, the Marlins are still clinging to a first-place lead.  Allbeit the slimest of slim leads- 1/2 game. A lead is a lead is a lead though.  Just ask the 5 teams that have lost to the Marlins by 1 run. 5-0 in 1 run games....including 2 wins on the 4-2 homestand.  Good teams find ways to win the close ones.  Although you won't win many games when you kick the ball around the infield in ways that would make David Beckham jealous, like Saturday night, winning when your team isn't playing at its best is always a good thing. Welcome back to Florida Wes Helms!!!  It was good to see Wes settling back in and getting a game-winning (my goal in life is to banish the term 'walk-off' from ever being used again) hit on Saturday.  You can tell that he has great chemistry with the team by their reaction and compliments of him.  Getting him back was a heads-up move by Beinfest.  You need verteran leaders on a young squad, and they don't come any more professional than Wes.

The only game I saw from start to finish since Tuesday was the gem that Olsen (3-0) pitched today, so here are just a few random thoughts and obersvations I have made....mostly from the box score.

1. Uggla might not be flashy, but he is getting on base.  Despite the fact that he is getting less hits than this blog page, he is walking, so it's not all bad. Hang in there Dan
2. After another triple this weekend, I think my Josh 'Wheels' Willingham comment might have been a Nostradamus-like prediction.
3. Smoltz has still got it.  10 K's in 5 innings? wow
4. I'm not worried about the decline in Olsen's strikeouts. I think he is learning that as long as you keep your walks and ERA low, strikeouts don't matter. Sometimes it's best to let the hitter get himself out.
5. Let Badenhop pitch.  He got squeezed by the ump a few times from what I saw of his start on Saturday. He deserved a better fate.  Let's see this kid for another few weeks before we get a feel for him
6. Doug Waecter. I know I spelled his name wrong, but I don't care.  There wasn't a better arm they could call up from the minors to replace Lee Gardner? I know he pitched 2 scoreless innings this weekend, but I don't like the former (Devil) Ray at all. Not at all, not at all, not at all.
7. Throw your fastball inside to lefties Tankersley.  You have a good breaking ball, but if you keep slinging it across the zone, hitters will sit on it and lay off it when it is a ball.  Mix in a few more fastballs, and you will do better. Great job on Sunday by Tank to come back and get Johnson after what happened on Friday!!!!!!
8. Hanley Ramirez is quickly becoming one of the best offensive players in the league.....if he isn't already.  The front office might have been right when they said they have the best SS in the division.  We are watching a superstar in the making right now.  Enjoy it, and hopefully Hanley will be here for years to come.

So the homestand was a good one.  4-2 to boost the record to 11-7.  Now a tough road trip with 2 apeice in Pittsburgh and Atlanta.  Then a weekend series in Milwaukee.  I'd like to see 5-2, but 4-3 would be good enough for me.  The Marlins have struggled over the years in PNC Park, but are facing 2 pitchers there who haven't won a game yet.  Tough to ever expect a sweep, but still.....

When the Marlins schedule came out, I looked at the first 20 games and said that with so many against the Nats and Pirates out of the gate, that it was possible to get off to a good start.  It's going to be a tougher road over the next month with games against the Braves, Mets, Brewers, Phillies, Dodgers and Diamonbacks.  If this team was going to do anything this year, a good start against this part of the schedule was imperitive, and they have responded thus far. Even if they are playing teams that were picked to finish last, they were too, and they still had to win against the bad teams. They did win a series against the Braves, and did tatoo Hudson in between, but let's see them do it again.  It's tough to take a team's temperature after each game, so I give it till the end of May, early June before we can really evaluate where the Marlins stack up against the rest of the NL. I think they'll still be hanging around then, but we will see.  First place fish are hitting the road! Let's come back 5 games over.

P.S. As I finish typing this, I have SportsCenter on in the background, and not even a mention of the Marlins in the whole show. Unbelievable.  The average sports fan who turns to ESPN to get their scores has no clue that this team is doing so well early on. Considering their payroll and lack of respect, one would think that a highlight of them winning would be a good story. Not to mention Hanley Ramirez's 2 homers, and Olsen's seven fantastic innings. I'm not asking for a whole 7 minute package talking about this team, but would a 20 second highlight be too much to ask?  I guess the suits at the Entertainment and Sports Television Network would rather show arena football highlights.  It makes me sick. Not just about the Marlins, but overall, ESPN the last 10 years or so has degraded so much. Take your X-games and shove them up your teleprompters.  

The Florida Marlins opened up their 6 game homestand on Monday night with a win, and an impressive one at that. No longballs needed tonight. Just an offense taking advantage of the few opportunities they had against good starting pitching, and forcing the bullpen into mistakes. All that in a minute, but the main theme of tonight was the ace of the staff, Scott Olsen, continuing to improve on and off the mound. The box score won't do him justice, as he gave up about 3 bloop hits that shouldnt have counted.  One number I loved to see though was 0....as in ZERO walks. Not only by Olsen, but the rest of the pitchers as well.  Are you kidding me???!!!!  No walks from a starter with a history of control problems? Another big step for Ollie tonight. He was throwing strikes, making hitters get themselves out, effecient...he was THE MAN. When Uggla bobbled the ball in the seventh inning however, I almost expected Olsen to lose his cool like he has done in the past.  And on the way back to the dugout Olsen did raise his fist to Dan...but lo and behold, it was for a hand pound! not a knuckle sandwich to the face!!!  The Scott Olsen of the last couple years would have lost his cool and gone off the deep end. Guess Scott took some anger management classes over the Winter. Whatever he did, it seems to be working. I look forward to watching him take the mound next series against the Nats. If Ollie continues to pitch effeciently and deep into games, the Marlins are going to hang around with the rest of the division for quite some time.

Offensively tonight was all about fundamentals.  Josh stole 2 bases, scored on a double by Jacobs (which he hit the other way). If Jake had tried to pull that ball, it woulda been an easy out at first and the end of the inning, so great job by Mike.  A triple by Josh 'Wheels' Willingham scored Uggla (who is looking a little better at the plate). And how about the back to back 2-out walks with the bases loaded!!!! And Hanley's came after being down 0-2! All in all the Marlins' BB/K ratio was even at 6 each, but if you discount the strikeouts by the pitcher and Andino's pathetic at-bat, you have 6 walks...and only 3 k's by your regular lineup! That's the way to approach the plate, take pitches, put the ball in play and don't strikeout. A very encouraging sign. Hopefully it continues.

Tough to complain after this game (I am really pumped up about this win, and you should be too if you watched the game and understand how crisp and mature this team looked tonight) but the Oscar the Grouch in me says that there are 2 gripes I should have.

1. Why why why why why was Olsen taked out after 7 innings? I know our pen held down the fort but he was under 85 pitches, why not throw him out there?  With the way he has going, the Braves couldn't really touch him and when a pitcher is feeling it like he was tonight, you ride it as long as you can. Unless you need to pinch-hit for him. I'm normally OK with that...unless the pinch hitter is called on to bunt...WHY WASTE A POSITION PLAYER TO BUNT????? Let the pitcher do it and throw him back out there for the next inning. Which leads to my second point....
2. Robert Andino has won a game for the Marlins this year with a game-ending (not walk-off; I hate that term almost as much as I hate the word 'stuff' being used to describe a pitcher's pitches) homerun, but if he is going to play a utility role on this team (even if he would rather play his natural position) then he must execute the small ball. Especially when you are up there for a pitcher, you had better lay the bunt down, otherwise you just wasted a bench player and out for your club...which is exactly what happened.  2 fouls and a called strike 3 and...."grab some pine, MEAT!"  I'm sure Andino is more than capable to bunt, but little things like that drive me cukoo.
3. One more sidebar.....Hey Jeremy Hermida (spelled h-E9-r-m-i-d-a), can you TRY to hit a ground ball to first with a runner on 2nd and no outs? That moves him to third and makes it easier for him to score, you know. I  didn't even see him attempt to hit that ball that way. You are better than that Jeremy. I know you can do it b/c I've seen you do it before....but where was it in the 6th inning tonight?

So here we are, 8-5, still in first place, and off to a good start on the homestand!!!! Whoo-Hooo!!!  Smoltzie and Hudson the next 2 games...let's get a split against the tough duo. 

 If the fish can play games the rest of the year like they did tonight, they'll be in and win a lot of them. Keep it up guys!!!

A glimpse into how my mind works on a Marlins off day

We all hear it. We all love it! How can you not? When the Fredi makes his trip to the mound we all know what ensues......A Maroone commerical to the Ghostbusters theme song playing while a more-than-dynamite reliever is trotting towards the hill. I personally here Mighy Mouse screaming "Here I come to save the gaaaaaame" in the background as well.  And you should too. It has been well documented already how good this bullpen is, but you cannot beat that into the ground.  One good reliever is hard to come by, let alone numerous outstanding arms like the Marlins have.  Every time I see Kyle Farnsworth and Aaron Heilman take the hill for a team with multi-millions in payroll, I laugh.  I crack up hysterically knowing that the Marlins club would only use them in a blowout. Those bums would never see the light of day in a close game...if they would make the cut at all in our 'pen.

However, the key to having a successful bullpen is not to overuse it. But by necessitcy, the Marlins bullpen had already thrown 38 of the 97 innings the team has played this year.  With the starters averaging less than 5.5 innings a start thus far, a lot of pressure has been put on the relievers. To this point, they have responded and picked up the team when the starters have not. But if this trend continues, the arms of the relief corps will loathe that 'Maroone' song that has become a fan favorite. (this fan at least)

By overusing the bullpen...or any pitcher for that matter, you are begging for an injury. If Justin Miller keeps throwing multiple innings every other day, one of two things will happen. He'll either wear down as the season goes on (like last year) or he will get hurt. The same goes for all the relievers.  I'm only using Miller as an example because he has been used the most with his 8 innings so far. It is a 2-edged sword. The bullpen is so good that Fredi must be tempted to use them early because he has so much confidence in them-as well he should. But racking up innings on the arms is going to take its toll, and at least one will go down with an injury if the starters can't work out of trouble and keep the pen door closed.

 The Marlins' starters must pitch deeper into ballgames, or else the calls to the bullpen will no longer be toll-free; they will come at the high price of an injury.  If this trend continues, Fredi better have Dr. James Andrews on speed-dial.    

Wow can those Marlins slug that ball!!!! Who knew? Well, any real Marlins fan knew what this offense was capable of doing going into the season.  So although the baseball world was shocked on Friday when our fish hit a record 6 home runs (welcome to South Florida Mike Rabelo) we pretty much knew that this club can rake with the best of them. However, Saturday and Sunday were large lessons learned for the Marlins. You can't score 10 runs every single night. At some point the starting pitching has to carry you, because when the opponents' pitchers shut down your offense, one or two runs can make the difference in the ball game.

Now, I know that Olsen and for the most part, Hendrickson have been able to pitch effectively and keep the game close. Until the rest of the rotation comes back, the young starters need to learn how to do the same. The Marlins lost the last 2 games of the series with rookie starters on the bump, so you can live with that. You're going to experience growing pains with a young starting staff, but boy were they impressive regardless of the losses.  Although Miller's ERA is quite high, he does have a lot of strikeouts. The walks are high too, but once he learns how to have better control, he has the makings of being a future star. His high-speed fastball and slider combo remind me a little of Scott Kazmir. He really only had 1 bad inning on Saturday night, and was able to last through 5.  I think Miller should be allowed to stay in the rotation and learn at the big-league level, so long as he shows that his IS learning and improving every time out. 

Burke Badenhop bunny-hop day!  I think that should be a promotion at the ballpark later in  the  year when Badenhop pitches.  Instead of letting the kids run around bases after the game,  why not have them do the bunnyhop? Just a thought.  In any event, Burke made his first start on Sunday, and didn't look too terrible. He gave up a few HR in a ballpark that gives up a lot of them, but it was encouraging that he didnt walk the ballpark and kept his team in the game through 5 innings plus. Now, obviously he must pitch deeper into games, but for his first start, although he certainly didnt look like the Red's Cueto, I'll take it. Hard to win with only 1 run of support anyway.  (cue the fade the next topic)

Which brinngs up the offense. Man shall not live on the homerun alone. And the Marlins have to learn how to push a run across without waiting for someone to hit a ball 450 feet.  Of the 11 runs scored this weekend, only 1 came on a hit that didn't clear the fence (Amezaga's single on Friday night). THAT has to change. Hitting longballs looks nice when the whole team is clicking, but opposing pitchers are too good to give up homeruns every single night. Florida is off to a good start, but if they expect to contend in a tough division over the long haul, they must *cue the baseball cliches* manufacture runs, build runs, play smallball, hit and run, etc. They have the ability to with the hitters they have, but they must look for that in their approach at the plate. How may baserunners did they have on Saturday night? Too many to be shutout that's for sure.  I would like to see the hitters focus more on making contact at the plate instead of trying to jack one out. If they expect to win slugfests at home in their spacious ballpark, they are going to come back to Earth very quickly.   It's a long ways to the fence there and they must realize that with a runner on second and no outs a little 80 foot ground ball to first is more producitve then a 290 foot flyout to left field.  I like our lineup, but it would be nice for them to sacrifce some of  their power for some more contact when the situation calls for it. I would rather do that and win games 5-4 and 3-1, than lose 5-0, 1-0, 7-2, and then win one 12-5, only to lose more. A more balanced approach at the plate will give more consistency to this offense, and consistency is what wins games.

Home sweet home. It wasn't all bad on the road though, don't get me wrong. In fact it was quite good. 4-2 on a 6 game road trip is a winning recepie no matter how you slice you. Next up is those pesky Braves. It would be nice for the Marlins if they could take the first one with Olsen going against young Jair Jurrjens; having to face Smoltz and Hudson back to back is tall order. Winning the first game will be crucial to establishing some momentum on this 6 game homestand. First place fish are coming home! Now come on out to the ballpark and support them!!  

6-3 after 9 games. Who would have bet that that would be the Marlins record through 9 games just a week and a half ago?  Well, take notice baseball world (even if ESPN doesn't). The fish contiue to find ways to win, and this time it wasn't because of a blowout. Starting pitching is a key to winning, and Big ol Hendrickson delivered this time. 7 innings and 1 run? I will take that any ans EVERY day thank you. Being staked to a 4-1 lead, the bullpen was able to hang on to it...even if Willingham couldn't hang on to the would-be HR he pulled back over the fence. Great play Josh! Even though he didnt catch the ball, he kept it in the ballpark and kept my television from flying across my living room in the process.  The relievers are allowed to let a few runs score every now and then. They have been lights out so far so I'm not going to go crazy when they give up 2 in 2 innings; though Logan Kensing always makes me nervous every time he comes in.

It was encouraging today that the Marlins were able to push a few runs across without slugging the ball over the wall. Man shall not live on the longball alone, and although the fish can slug with the best of em, you need to string a few hits together every now and then and score the old fashioned way.  Jorge Cantu is starting to heat up, with a HR yesterday and going 3-4 today, he is looking like a great offensive threat deep into the lineup. Hermida had a big hit in this one too. Looks like his RBI-itis he had early last year is not going to have a relapse.

On to Houston! Tall task with Oswalt on the hill Friday. I know he is off to a slow start, but Roy is one of the best pitchers in the game, and always pitches well against the Marlins.  Nolasco (who should have been starting over Rick VandenBalk since day one) will get his first start of the year after tossing 5.2 lights-out scoreless innings out of the bullpen the first week. The Astros' offense does have some dangerous hitters like Berkman, Lee and Tejada, but isn't that explosive overall. If Ricky can keep them in check and keep the game close, Florida has a chance to win the first game. It will be fun to watch for sure. Going on to Houston, Houston, Houston......(to the tune of the Dean Martin song)

Jeremy Hermida was back at the plate on Wednesday night, and unfortunately in right field as well. No doubt his arm is better than Luis Gonzalez's (pretty sure my 6 year old nephew's is better) but his glove is shoddy at best. For a RF who missed a decent amount of time due to injury, he was 2nd among errors in RF last year. It was good to see him belting 2 doubles from the #3 hole, but watching him drop a routine fly ball was maddening. Hopefully he will sure up the defense, or else he will have to rake the ball every night to make up for his misplays in the field.

On a bright side though, Olsen has looked like a pitcher who is maturing before our very eyes. In a rotation starving for an ace to eat up innings and save the bullpen, he stepped up with a 7.2 inning performance. Giving up the 4 runs was ok by me.....better to make a team that was trailing by 8 put the ball in play instead of walking the ballpark. He was trying to make them earn everything, and did a good job for a team that is in desperate need of good starting pitching. Way to go Olsen. Keep it up!

Jorge Cantu showed a flash of the power he displayed with the (Devil) Rays a few season ago with his shot to left field. Cantu drove in over 100 a few years ago and is young enough to still have some good seasons left in him if he can get back to his form from a years ago. It would be great to have a legitamite offensive threat that far down in the lineup.

Speaking offense, Amezaga is hot right now?! And when you're hot and making contact to the opposite field you get rewarded by those little flares that drop. Keep it up Alfredo!

Mike Jacobs is showing the power that we all know he has. Stay healthy Jake, and you could have a monster year in this offense. If he could ever learn to hit the ball the other way, think of how much more of a threat that would make him. That being said, when he's pulling balls over the right field wall, that's fine with me. 2 homer night for the slugging 1Bman. How's Delgado doing in NY? 

Fish go for the sweep tomorrow before heading off the Houston. Let's get it and move to 6-3 before they take on Oswalt, Tal's hill and company over the weekend.

 With 2 series in the books, our beloved Marlins are actaully the only team in the NL East with a winning record, and have already had their share of great defensive and offensive plays. Unforutnately, there has been less than steller (putting it lightly) performances from the starters. No question that Mitre, Sanchez, and Johnson on the DL hurts, but thank God  VandenHurk was sent down to AA. He can be Dutch all he wants, and I'm sure he's a great kid, but he does not belong on a Major league roster.  The 4-3 record is thanks moslty to one of the best bullpens in the league holding down the fort. The winning will not continue if the Marlins don't get quality starts (0 so far) because this bullpen will be taxed and sucking wind come late June at this rate. I think even though the Marlins are off to a decent start, you still have to expect them to lose 85-90 games. They will get a boost when the starters come off the DL, but how did that work out for JJ last year?  This team is still built to win in 2009 or 2010 but I will have fun watching this talented bunch grow up this year.

         Some things that I am looking for this season that the team needs to improve upon:

• A real #2 hitter. Dan Uggla can put you up 2-0 early if he gets a fastball, but pitchers are starting to figure him out and are throwing a lot of breaking balls to him. He never tries to hit the ball to the right side, a crucial part of batting second to move Hanley over. He does walk, but strikes out too much hit in the 2 hole. I know Hermida will bat 3rd when he comes back, but I would rather see him batting 2nd b/c of his patience, and moving Uggla down to 5.
• Scott Olsen needs to take the next step. Olsen says he wants to be the ace of the staff...well go out and DO IT. Lead by example. Hold this roation and team together while all the key players are hurt. Don't cause a rift in the clubhouse a la Messenger, don't get into any legal trouble, and obey team rules. Dontrelle, even when he wasn't winning was a postive influence in the clubhouse. Grow up Olsen. You're very talented. Show everyone you are more than a fiery hothead.
• Defense defense defense. Sew up those holes in the gloves.  Last year the Marlins made the most errors of any team in the NL. Hermida, Hanley and Jacobs need to sure up the glovework. They have the ability to at least be average defensively...which would be a massive improvement over last year.
• Let's see Burke Badenhop. With the demotion on VandenHurk (all those candles I lit in church worked) let's see what the sinkerballer Badenhop can do. He is suppossed to have great control, and sinkerballers can be domintating on any given day. If Maybin and Miller (the jury is still out on him) need more seasoning at the minor league level, then let us see at least one of the players we traded Miguel and Willis for.
• De Aza. I just want to see him play. You have to feel for him with his tough-luck injuries. Maybe he could even become a candidate for a #2 hitter that I mentioned before. I know Maybin is going to get a chance to play down the road, but I don't think that the Marlins oragnization should overlook De Aza just because Maybin came here in a trade. You still don't know how good he can be.

Well, with all that in mind I'll be watching my beloved fish at 7 tonight against the Nats. Let's see Olsen give us 7 innings tonight, and hopefully get another win on this road trip!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment!