Fluke or Fillet?

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....