According the Marlins website, Hanley Ramirez took batting practice today and will be in the lineup against the Phillies for tonight's game. Apparently whatever swelling he had in his thumb has subsided.  This is great news because not only does it keep Amezaga out of the leadoff spot against a leftie (I love Alfredo, but we all know that he cannot hit from the right side of the plate) but Hanley is hitting .500 with 4 doubles in 12 AB against Hamels in his career thus far.  This is a big game for Florida, because they would certainly like to put an end to their 3 game skid.  They are currently 6-4 through this 16 game stretch that I outlined last week, but only 1-3 on the current roadtrip.  Not saying it is going to be easy, but the Fish need to get a win and set themselves up for a rubber game tomorrow.  (Which will be on national television! TBS.  The Marlins have a nationally televised game? What world did I step into?)  Moyer has owned the Marlins in his career, and I was in the park when he pitched 6 no-hit innings against them last year.  And although Andew Miller is 3-1 in the month of May, he will no longer be pitching in May come tomorrow, so therefore he will have prove himself all over again to me.  (Don't tell me that I am too stern on him; watch all of his April games, count how many grey hairs they give you and then come back to me).  And if the Marlins win tonight, they will be in first place in June!!!  Hey, it's the small things in life that I appreciate.  The small things folks, like a big win over the Phillies.   Let's go Fish!

Although the Philles are still playing against the Marlins as I type this; (well, actually, the Phillies are playing. I'm not sure if the Fish are still in the building) it is safe to say this one is over.  I know that the Marlins have had a six-run comeback in the 9th already this season, but that's not happening against the Phillies bullpen.  After Florida struck first with three off Myers who couldn't throw a strike early on, and Hendrickson set down Rollins, Victorino and Utley in order, the Marlins looked good......and then the second inning came.  Look, we all saw it, and I really don't want to re-live it, so all I'm going to say is that you cannot give a team like the Phillies extra outs, and with their lineup you have to get the pitcher out (BY NOT WALKING HIM WHEN HE IS TRYING TO BUNT!!!!!) WTF HENDRICKSON?????!  The Marlins really let Myers off the hook in the first by not getting a few more runs off him.  When the first 4 reach, and it is 1-0 with the bases loaded and none out, three is on the low end of the number of runs you should score. (As I type this, Justin Miller has taken it upon himself to see how many balls he can throw with the bases loaded before I reach for my heart pills for the 28th time tonight....4 is now the number)......GHHAAAA.  You know, I was really looking forward to this game.....Guess it's a "lets get em tomorrow" kind of night.  The only good news is that there is still a long way to go and the Marlins haven't had a game like this since game 3 of the year against the Mets. Florida is certainly better than how they have played tonight, and all the blame in this one falls on Mark. 7-3 or not, 10, yes 10 runs in 3.2 innings is flat out unacceptable.   

Also, Hanley left this game with a bruised thumb.  I hope he can play the rest of the series, but if he has to rest, so be it.  I don't want to see him reinjure it and be out for a few weeks.  The Marlins are already down Willingham, who was hitting .341 at the time of his injury.  They cannot afford to lose Ramirez.  Slump or not, they need his presence in the lineup.

Nolasco vs. Hamels tomorrow.  And for the first time since mid April, the Marlins will be playing for first, from second place.

P.S.  Ryan Howard's three-run shot was the cheapest home run I have seen in years.  Although, give him credit for going the other way.  Hang in there Badenhop, you really didn't make all that bad of a pitch.

The Florida Marlins are off today; the calm before the storm of a big series in Citizens Bank Park over the weekend. (and a good day to recuperate from the hangover of last night's loss)  With those hated Phillies also off today it ensures that Florida will maintain their 1/2 game lead (2 in loss column though) in the NL East.  It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that whoever wins this series will be in first place come Sunday night.  I still don't know how the Marlins have made it to late May without seeing the division champs once yet, but they will meet twice in the next two weeks.  And perhaps the best news for the club is that yours truly is NOT going to be in attendance for any of the games! (for the record, the Fish have gotten destroyed all three times I've seen them play in Citizens Bank Park).

All joking aside this is the biggest series of the year for the Marlins. If they come out of this weekend in first place, it means they will have won a series against a very hot team in their building.  The Phillies demolished the Rockies this week, and Ryan Howard is suddenly coming alive at the plate.  When he, Rollins, Utley, Burrell and Victorino are all clicking, they have the best lineup in the entire NL, and one of the top 3 in all of baseball.  Now their starting pitching on the other hand, outside of Hamels, is very inconsistent.  Their bullpen, which was a weakness for them the past few years, is one of the team's strong points this year. Lidge has completely turned his career around thus far and has been unbelievable. (Hey! A good lineup, OK starters, and a good bullpen...hmm...sound like any other team we know of?).

The Marlins and the Phillies have played some close and entertaining game the last few years. I can still remember Hanley's slide to tie the game with 2 outs in the 9th from last year like it was yesterday. But for the first time in a few years, these two teams will be playing with equal talent levels, and pretty much equal records.  It will be a fun series to watch, no doubt, and I think the Marlins can pull out 2 wins. One thing is for sure, you will see the top 2 offensive middle infields in all of baseball go head to head this weekend, and someone whose last name starts with a 'U' will hit a home run. Ramirez is due for a big series, and I really feel that he will do something special this weekend.  He didn't like what big-mouth Rollins had to say about him last year, so I'm sure he will have some extra motivation. On to Philly.  Let's go Marlins! 

Boy did the Marlins drop a tough one tonight.  Since I am tired and have no voice, hair or fingernails left after this game, I will just list a few reasons why the Fish lost this one.

1. It starts with the starting pitching. And 4 runs in 5 innings from your 'ace' is not acceptable
2. You cannot live and die on the homerun.  It looks nice, and though it gave the Marlins the lead twice, they also struck out a ridiculous 16 times.  Shorten up and put the ball in play
3. Defense.  Carlos Beltran made a game-changing catch robbing Jones of a two-run double; Jorge Cantu fielded (or didn't) like....Jorge Cantu. And that's starting to really p*** me off.
4. Why was Amezaga starting against a leftie? He cannot hit a lick from the right side of the plate.
5. When your leadoff hitter isn't getting on base, you have trouble scoring.  Let's go Hanley
6. Gregg blew the save. It happens, and an 0-2 fastball to Chavez was a good idea, but he missed over the plate with it.  Kevin gets a little bit of a pass because he's been so good, and the Marlins should have scored more runs for him.....
7. .....By not making Heilman look like Cy Young
8. Walking the leadoff batter was inexcusable by Miller. He has been in a bit of a funk lately, and he didn't do his team any favors by blowing the second save of the game for the bullpen. 

Losses like this happen during the season to everyone, but the Marlins should have sealed the deal.  And losing like this to New York makes it even worse. The Marlins must shake this one off and put it behind them. As much as it stinks, there is nothing you can do about it now.  A day off, then on to Philly.  Hendrickson better have his A game going, and the offense better stop swinging for the fences every time up, or else they will be looking up at the Phillies instead of down very soon. I am not going to sleep very well tonight...

P.S. no pictures are present, because if I could find one to express my mood, I would be banned from ever posting on this site again.

The first place Marlins and the fourth place Mets conclude their 3 game series tonight at 7 with an important rubber game for the Fish.  Not only are they facing an inconsistent pitcher in Oliver Perez, but it would be good to go into Philadelphia with some confidence because the Phillies are absolutely crushing the ball right now.  I think they are averaging close to 2.5 touchdowns a game over the last week.  The Marlins let the Mets even up the series last night by leaving waaayyy too many runners on base against Johan Santana; Namely Dan Uggla who by my count left 5 by himself.  But when you are hitting close to .500 for the month, things have to even out sooner or later I suppose, so I give Uggla a break. (After all, he did win both games on Sunday for the Fish).  Also, it was good to see Hanley go the other way for a hit last night; maybe he is starting to come out of his slump.

Although his record wouldn't tell you, Scott Olsen has been the Marlins most consistent starter this year.  He didn't have it on Friday night against Zito and the Giants, and now he goes up agianst another southpaw.  It will be intresting to see how he rebounds tonight after his first poor outing of the year.  He has shown maturity and battled through most other tests this year, let's hope he continues to grow and pitches well tonight. Let's go Scott!!! 

Although it is a lot to ask of this lineup, especially with the free-swinging Ross likely starting in center, they must be patient against Perez.  He has shown several times this year that he can impolde and walk the ballpark at any time, so laying off his high fastball and sweeping slider is imperative tonight.  Plus, he shutout the Marlins way back in early April, so it would be nice to see some payback.  And it's always nice to beat New York.....ALWAYS

Beat the Mets, Beat the Mets, Step to the plate and beat the Mets, Knock that line drive over their heads, Make their offense put up goose eggggs, Because the Mets are really losing them all, Making their fans bang their head on the wall.......(to the tune of that highly annoying song they play at Shea.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky)

Mother Nature decreed that the Fish play a double-header on Sunday, and the Marlins shook off the rain drops, the emabarrassment of being the first team to lose to Zito and some sketchy pitching to give themselves another series win and a 6-3 homestand. The beat just continues to go on; both winning runs were provided by Dan Uggla, who has clearly been motivated by my blog a few weeks ago that said he didn't even deserve All-Star consideration. (My foot is squarely in my mouth as I type this).  I haven't seen an Astros game lately and I know all I keep hearing is how hot Lance Berkman is, but it is tough to envision a hitter having a better month than Uggla.  The second best day went to Jorge Cantu (who was also clearly motivated by me because I benched him in my fantasy league for the first time all year) who was on base 7 times and hit 2 home runs.  Since Cantu was in a slump is was good to see him bust out of it, especially with him hitting in the third hole.  By Hanley returning to leadoff spot and with Hammer still on the DL, Cantu must carry his weight in the middle of the lineup, and he clearly has responded over the weekend.  If he starts to falter though, the Marlins could always bat Hendrickson third......

Despite his average being a mean .333 (Micah Owings who?) and his record moving to 7-2, Hendrickson struggled pitching today.  5 runs in 5 innings in the front end of double dip isn't getting the job done, but he did get a HUGE double play from Castillo with the bases loaded. (At least for today, it looks like the Marlins choice to go with Cantu over Castillo in Spring training was a no-brainer).  Gregg continues to look as unhittable as ever, picking up a save and a win, and overall the bullpen did a good job in their 11 innings of work.  Though De La Cruz did make me reach for my blood pressure pills in the first inning of game 2 (seen through Gameday on MLB.com, thanks DirecTv for NOT broadcasting game 2) giving up 2 runs in 3 innings in an emergency start isn't all that bad I suppose.  A double-header sweep is always a great day no matter how it came about, now on to Shea!!!

6 games into this tough 16 game stretch, and the Marlins are 5-1.  If they can go 6-4 on the 3 city, 11 day gauntlet, that would give them an 11-5 record in those games and send a message to those who dismissed them as club that can only beat other teams with losing records.  It will be nice to see the Marlins playing a local team the next 3 days. Hopefully they will get some good press in my area.  Then again, that's only if the Post and News stop bashing Randolph.  That is a story for another day though. With Pelfrey and a formidable TBD for the Mets slated for the first 2 games, it would be nice to get the trip off to a good start and win the series against a team that is actually below .500 right now.  First place Fish are hitting the road!!!! Let's show the rest of the division that this team is for real!!!!

P.S. A very special congratulations to Omar Vizquel for setting the record for most games ever by a shortstop.  Think about that,  Most games EVER.  Wow. Wow. Wow.

Also, welcome to Jacque Jones.  With a sac fly on Sunday, maybe he will show this offense that sometimes small ball isn't a bad thing. 

Holy Fish sweeping Snakes Batman!!!  The first place Florida Marlins have just swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that had the best record in the NL just three days ago.  And the finale came with a lefty throwing 7 shutout innings.  Lo and behold it wasn't Hendrickson or Olsen, but Andrew Miller!  Yes, THAT Andrew Miller who seemingly gave up 32 baserunners and 21 runs every time he took the mound earlier in the season.  How about the 3 combined runs allowed by the Fish in the whole series!! You knew coming in that to beat Owings, Webb and Haren that the Marlins would have to pitch their tails off and win low-scoring games.  And they did just that!  I was a little disappointed that my boss didn't accept the 'two first place teams are playing and one of them is my team' excuse and I had to work through the last 2 games thus i cannot really comment on the details of the games; but I am pumped up nonetheless. It was nice to see the Marlins rebound and sweep the series against a good team after going through a little bit of a funk last week.  They must keep the momentum rolling now as a team with a losing record rolls into town this weekend.  4-2 on the homestand so far, let's get to 6-3 before the tough roadtrip.  And plllllllleeeeeease don't let the Fish be the first Win for Zito this season.  For some reason or another, I just have a bad feeling about tomorrow night. But regardless, I will rejoice in knowing that the Marlins are tied with 3 other teams for the fewest losses in the league (19) heading into Memorial Day Weekend.  And I am sure that you will rejoice in this stream of consciousness blog come to an end. Hey it is almost midnight and I'm off to dream about a SportsCenter Marlins highlight, because we know I'll never see one with my eyes open.  Yet they will focus an early segment of the show on a 60-second highlight of a last place team (the Yankees) winning a game. I could go on, but what's the point? You know what I'm saying. Good night all, and in case you didn't know,  THE FISH ARE IN FIRST PLACE BABY!!!!!!

The first tough stretch of the year for the Marlins has arrvied, with the Fish still on top of their divsion by a game and a half.  Any Marlins fan would have signed to be in this position when the season started, but considering the Marlins have already burned a 3-game lead faster than a 16 year old burns their first pay check by winning only 1 game against losing teams last week, you have to be a little disappointed with the slim margin of seperation in the standings.  I like how ESPN loves to point out the fact that the Marlins have beaten up on the Nationals to get in this position, yet the Nats took 3 of 4 against the Mets and beat the Phillies last night soooo.....maybe they aren't an automatic victory after all?  Give the Marlins all the credit in the world to have only 19 losses at this point in the season, but the schedule is going to get much tougher. 

The Diamondbacks are in town, followed by the good starting pitching (sans Zito) of the Giants.  Then 10 on the road against the top 3 division rivals Mets, Phillies and Braves.  I said earlier in the season that in early June you would get a better feel for where the Marlins place with the rest of the league, and these upcoming games are the reason.  16 in a row.....10-6 or 9-7 would mean this team could be for real after all.  Anything less could mean that the Fish just might not have what it takes to compete against the better teams for the long haul. It will still be too early to jump the gun and pass judgement on the whole season, but watching how these young pitchers perfrom against tough competition will tell a lot about them. Hopefully Hammer will be back in the lineup at some point during these games too.  If not, we should see Jones in left before too long.  One thing that disturbs me a little about signing him is that he might block De Aza from having a consistent shot in center once Willingham comes back.  I would still like to see De Aza get a chance to play everyday, but I know it would be hard to take playing time away from Jones after signing him.....so long as he plays well. Either way, it was a move that had to be made, because it is obvious that Amezaga and Ross are not the full-time answer at the plate right now. 

Owings vs. Hendrickson tonight.  The over/under on base hits by pitchers in this game is 3 1/2 according to my bookie.....I mean the New York Post....

Just a quick note.  Right before the Marlins lost their second straight game to a last place Reds team, I had a rather strange experience.  In the 9th inning down 2, I cracked open a fortune cookie, and it read "Do you believe? Your faith will soon be rewarded."  On the reverse side of the paper, the 'learn chinese' word was....FISH.  That's right, FISH.  And just like the succers who hit when they have 17 in blackjack because they 'feel lucky' I suddenly thought that there was no way that the Marlins would lose the game.  Hermida gets on first....a wild pitch and he moves to second.....I was really starting to believe now.  I was about to crack open the Yellow pages and look to see where I could get this fortune laminated and framed in 24 karat gold....and then Hanley, Cantu and Uggla are retired, my heart is ripped out, the baseball Gods are laughing at me, the fortune is ripped into a million pieces, and here I am sitting on my couch wondering how I could somehow think that a random fortune cookie that one fan read would actually change the outcome of a baseball game 1,000 miles away.  But nevertheless, for a moment I truly did, and can do nothing but laugh about it now.  Now I'd just like to see the Fish salvage a split against a team that is among the league's worst. And I'm not ordering chinese food ever again. EVER

P.S. Tonight's Mega Millions is over 160 million.  If the winning lotto numbers are 1, 10, 15, 43, 51, and 4 (those were the numbers on the ticket before I ripped it up).....you will hear a 24 year old man screaming at the top of his lungs tomorrow, no matter where you live.......

This last week has been filled with many promising signs for the Marlins on the field....but perhaps the best sign came from what the organization did off of it.  Folks, Hanley Ramirez is here to stay, thanks to his new 6 year, $70 million deal. Tremendous move, and all in all a steal down the road when you think of what he could be making if Hanley continues to put up the numbers he has thus far.  This was a move that shows the fans, the players, the nay-sayers and the rest of the league that there is a commitment by the franchise to make competitive baseball a priority in South Florida.  That's right ESPN, get all your 'who-cares' comments about the Marlins out now, because with the new stadium on the horizon, the Fish now have the funds to keep the team together.

Although there are a number of players that will be up for arbitration at the end of the year, I wouldn't expect the Marlins to sign another player to a multi-year deal for at least a few months.  Of the main players that will be up for it (Willingham, Uggla, Jacobs, Hermida and Olsen) I would think that the next long term deal would be offered to Hermida or Olsen. I would love for all of them to stay, and they all might, but with the emphasis the front office puts on pitching, Olsen would be a no-brainer; especially considering teams usually pay through the nose (where did that expression ever come from? sounds pretty painful) for pitchers via arbitration or free-agency (see Ted Lilly, Barry Zito, Gil Meche, Oliver Perez). And of the position players, Hermida is the youngest and a former #1 draft pick of the organization.  Then again, with the numbers that Uggla and Jacobs are amassing, their arbitration price might be quite high as well, so maybe they would be offered deals to save money in the long run.  I didn't major in accounting though, so I'll leave all these tough choices (and no doubt they are) to Beinfest and Loria. Either way-  this is a good problem to have and for what seems like the first time in forever (maybe because it is) the Marlins have some resources to keep a young team entact.

Now to the action on the field: a seven game win streak has the high-flying Fish growing legs in place of their fins and running away from the pack in the division. (yes, they are flying, running and swimming all at the same time) Call it what you want, but the Florida Marlins right now boast the best record in the Majors.  That's right. That is not one of the many, many typos that I have in this blog.  That is a fact my friends.  I know it is only the 12th of May, but I would rather be 3 games in place than 3 games out any day.  Throw in the fact that the pitching has been much better this month than it was in April (only 2 games where Florida has allowed more than 5 runs and 6 where they gave allowed 3 or less, including 2 shutouts) and you have yourself a solid ballclub.  Top to bottom, do the Marlins have the best players in the Majors? The short answer is no.  Are they talented? No question about it.  The offense bailed out Olsen yesterday, but during a long win streak you have to have a comeback here or there to keep it going.  Right now you are seeing the confidence the players have every time they take the field, and it shows in their performance.  They believe in themselves, and that is something no manager can teach.  Hopefully it continues against the Reds.  Harang and Volquez will be no easy task, but there is no reason to believe the Marlins cannot take the series against a team with one of the worst records in the National League.

Speaking of records, the going gets much tougher in the coming weeks as the Marlins will play 16 games in a row against the Diamonbacks, Giants (who have better starting pitching than their record would indicate) Mets, Phillies and Braves.  You never like to look ahead, but that will be a better test for this young ballclub than the majority of the early games have been.  I am becoming a believer though, because good teams beat the ones they are suppossed to.  AND with the best record in the Bigs, who can really complain right now?  For once, not me. 

The Midsummer Classic. You know it. That darn game that leaves us without anything to watch on television for 3-4 days and has us yearning so badly for the first punt of the NFL preseason.  That game that means so much that the NL manager leaves Albert Pujols on the bench with a chance to win the game.....GAH!!!!

I, for one, cannot stand this abomination for a number of reasons. The first of which is the fan voting.  If the fans are to determine the 'all-star' starters (remember the year that Nomar was the top vote-getter, and he hadn't had a single at-bat the whole season?) then we shouldn't be allowed to vote for just any player.  There should be a certain plateau of numbers that a player should accumulate before being eligible to receive a vote.  I mean really, who is voting for Marco Scutaro or Scott Hatteberg?  Not taking anything away from these players because they would put me to shame if I tried to play a game against them, but the fan voting drives me crazy.  We all know Cabrera should have started the all-star game last year over David Wright (don't tell about the defense Met fans, b/c your beloved 'gold glove' 3B has made more errors at third than any other player over the last 3 years) but because of the amount of popularity the New York teams get, more fans vote soley for the 'big names' they see on national tv.  And if this game is to determine home-field advantage for the World Series (don't even get me started on that) then it really should be the best of the best, not whoever can win a popularity contest.  And how can the voting commence only 5 weeks into the year? If a player has a good month, people might vote him in just beacuse his stats are guady, and then by the time the game comes around, there might be a more deserving player.  We all know Hanley isn't going to be the starter, Jose Reyes will win that honor even if he continues hitting only .260.  It's impossible for players from small-market teams to compete against the ones who draw 42,000 a game because their hometown players have their ballot casted many more times than the ones who draw 20,000 or less.

I'll get into my other gripes about the all-star game as the season wears on. But here is another one. Take a look at this advertisement ballot.  Cody Ross isn't even a starter, and do Rabelo, Uggla (only because of Chase Utley) and Hermida really deserve consideration?  Don't get me wrong, I love watching them play and root like heck for them, but they are not all-star starter worthy. 

I've come to realize that the MLB all-star voting is becoming even more full of propaganda (and probably more popular) than the Democratic primary.  And that, my friends, is scary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Marlins got mowed through by a buzzsaw known as the Dogders last week and Josh Willingham was placed on the DL, Fredi Gonzalez decided to shake things up a bit with the lineup.  All things considered it paid off against the Padres, and hopefully will work throughout the next two series as well.  I'm sure when Willingham comes back, he will only improve the re-shaped lineup.  I like the way that it's been retooled for a number of reasons.

Although there isn't a great on-base % guy at the top with Ross and Amezaga, at least Alfredo will take pitches and make contact.  I looooove Hermida hitting in the #2 hole.  He is a patient hitter, and will certainly see more fastballs than Dan Uggla did, partly because of who is hitting behind him.  Hanley Ramirez is the best hitter on the Marlins- and the best offensive shortstop in the NL.  It makes all the sense in the world to bat him third.  This way a HR in his first at-bat puts 2-3 up on the board, not just 1, and his doubles into the right-center gap will mean more with men on base.  With Jacobs batting cleanup right now and Cantu or Uggla following him, you have lineup that 1-5 goes S-L-R-L-R.   That makes pitching mathups later on in the game a nightmare for oppossing managers.  And then you have Luis Gonzalez batting 7th, and his average should be higher, as he seems to hit the ball hard every game, but always at a fielder.  I like the way the lineup looks, now hopefully the starting pitching will follow suit and be better after the shake-up in the rotation.  Badenhop and Miller each looked better in their last outings, but let's see them string a few good starts in a row together before I start doing jumping jacks.  (at least they've looked better than Hughes and Kennedy in NY, though that's not saying much)

So with an upcoming series with the Brewers (nope, this isn't last week's blog, the Fish are playing them again) the Marlins have a chance to finish the homestand on a positive note.  Though a 2-1 series win would only give them a 4-5 homestand, winning 4 of the last 6 would be a nice turnaround after the way it started.  The pitching matchups certainly favor Florida (how many times have we been able to say that this year?) against the Brewers.  I'm curious as to how the Marlins will have finshed their season series' with the Pirates and Brewers before they even see the Phillies? The Fish must feel like they are nomads who've settled in the NL central with the way the schedule has been thus far. I know in the end it will all even out, but I'd just like to see the schedule spread out a little bit more over the course of the season. 

Let's go Fish!!!! Let's see Scott return to being the MAN tonight!!!!!