May 7, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Alex Sanabia (28) talks with catcher Miguel Olivo (21) during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins will look to extend their winning streak to two tonight as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are coming fresh off a walk-off win against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon.

The Phillies will send out Cole Hamels, hoping he can start turning things around for himself, and the team in 2013. The Marlins counter with Alex Sanabia and hope they are still within reach of the game when he comes out.

Check out my chat with Justin Klugh to get a feel for the Phillies coming into this series. Also check out the series preview for in depth scouting reports on the pitching matchups this series.

Cole Hamels	V	Alex Sanabia
9	GS	8
56.2	IP	45.0
4.61	ERA	5.00
4.81	FIP	5.96
47	K	25
24	BB	23

Marlins Lineup

Same lineup as the one Redmond rolled out in Sunday’s win. This lineup barely put two runs on the board, but they won, so this is what Redmond will go with tonight. Coghlan is 7-for-21 in his career with two home runs against Hamels.

Phillies Lineup

With Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz both out with injuries, the Phillies lineup looks nearly as pathetic as the Marlins. Thankfully for Phillies fans, they have Chase Utley and a hot Michael Young. The Marlins lineup has neither.

May 7, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Matt Diaz (32) reacts after a called strike three by home plate umpire Jordan Baker (not pictured) during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

More injury news to report, the Miami Marlins have placed outfielder Matt Diaz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 19th, with a bone contusion, according to Clark Spencer on Twitter.

#Marlins moves: Matt Diaz on DL retro to 5/19 with left knee bone contusion.Jordan Brown (#54) selected from NOLA.

— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) May 20, 2013

Diaz will be the Marlins 11th player currently on the disabled list right now. He is the latest player for the Marlins to hit the DL in a season full of injuries thus far.

To take Diaz’s place, the Marlins selected the contract of Jordan Brown from New Orleans. Brown has a slash line of .246/.293/.316 with a wOBA of just .277. Brown had a .230/.272/.310 in 92 career at bats in 2010 with the Cleveland Indians, which is the only major league experience he has.

Brown will take the open spot on the Marlins 40-man roster that was vacated by the designation of assignment of Jon Rauch.

Not sure why the Marlins chose Brown over someone like Kyle Jensen, who is already on the Marlins 40-man roster and can be moved up and down as much as possible. The move does make more sense than calling up Bryan Petersen or Gorkys Hernandez, as he can also play first base and the outfield.

Brown is also more easily expandable to release for the Marlins than Petersen or Gorkys.

David Aardmsa signs with Mets

David Aardsma saw that he had no future in the Marlins bullpen, so he exercised his opt-out clause. Aardsma posted a 2.57 ERA with 12 strikeouts and eight walks in 14 innings of work for Triple-A New Orleans. He signed with the Mets earlier today and will pitch in Triple-A Las Vegas for the Mets.

May 19, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) greets a young fan before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins snapped their seven-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon and were able to avoid a sweep to the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the team’s first win of their nine-game homestand in six attempts.

The Marlins will have a chance to salvage their homestand and improve their embarrassing 6-16 mark at home in a three game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have sustained some success against the Phillies this season, going 4-5 against them this season.

The Marlins are hoping that seeing the Phillies pitching again can get their bats going. The Marlins dropped 14 runs on Roy Halladay and the Phillies the last time they faced off. Roy Halladay is currently on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins  May 20-22, Games 45-47

NL East	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	AWAY	L10	STRK
Braves	25	18	.581	-	12-5	13-13	5-5	W3
Nationals	23	21	.523	2.5	12-9	11-12	4-6	L2
Phillies	21	23	.477	4.5	11-12	10-11	5-5	W1
Mets	17	24	.415	7.0	9-12	8-12	3-7	W1
Marlins	12	32	.273	13.5	6-16	6-16	2-8	W1

Stadium: Marlins Park

Five-year Run PF*: N/A
Five-year HR PF*: N/A
Stadium Dimensions:
Left field line—340 ft.
Left-center field—384 ft.
Center field—416 ft.
Right-center field—392 ft.
Right field line—335 ft.

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

2013 Season Statistics

May 7, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Alex Sanabia (28) throws during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, May 20th 2013: Cole Hamels, PHI vs. Alex Sanabia, MIA

Command has been a major issue for Hamels in 2013, as he has walked 27 batters in 56.2 innings of work. His BB/9IP sits at 2.31 for his career, but is 1.5 higher this season at 3.81. He is also allowing home runs at a higher rate, allowing 1.43 per nine innings pitched. Both of these are a concern for Hamels, as he is having the worst season of his career. Hamels has made two starts this season against the Marlins, pitching 12 innings, allowing just 8 hits, and striking out 11 against 3 walks.

Sanabia has dropped five straight decisions, and has given up an average of four runs and seven hits per game. He has just two more strikeouts than walks on the season and has given up 56 hits in 45 innings. That is not a good combination, which has led to a very bad ERA, which is more generous than his FIP. Overall, Sanabia has been a colossal failure in 2013 and needs to be taken out of the Marlins starting rotation A.S.A.P.

Tuesday, May 21st 2013: Tyler Cloyd, PHI vs. Jose Fernandez, MIA

Cloyd was the choice for the Phillies to replace Roy Halladayin the rotation while he recovers from his shoulder surgery. He pitched six innings last time out, allowing just three

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

earned runs, but he walked three and only struck out four. Cloyd is not an ove, as his fastball averages around 86-87 MPH. He owns a career 4.58 ERA in over 39 major league innings.

Fernandez threw a career high 99 pitches last time out against the Cincinnati Reds. He tied his career high with 7 innings pitched, striking out five and walking three. Last time out against the Phillies, Fernandez had the best start of his young career. In seven innings, Jose struck out a career high nine hitters, while allowing just one hit and one walk. Fernandez has throw 13 innings against the Phillies this season and has allowed no runs on just three hits. He has struck out 14 Philly hitters and walked three. Safe to say Jose Fernandez owns the Philadelphia Phillies early on in his career

Wednesday, May 22nd 2013: Cliff Lee, PHI vs. Kevin Slowey, MIA

Cliff Lee continues to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in 2013. He has a 2.83 ERA and a 3.00 FIP in his first nine starts of the season. Lee has averaged over 7 innings a start in 2013, continuing to be one of the more durable pitchers in baseball. He has not faced the Marlins in 2013, but owns a 2.68 ERA in 53 2/3 innings.

Slowey will look to bounce back from his previous two starts, in which he has started to

May 17, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Kevin Slowey (45) reacts during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

regress towards his career numbers. His ERA has shot up almost two full runs in the past two starts, in which surrendered 11 runs on 18 hits in just 7 2/3 inning of work. This comes after he had a dominant start against the Phillies, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits. He struck out seven that game and walked just two.

Bold Prediction: The Marlins are able to steal the series from the Phillies by taking the first two games. Jose Fernandez turns in another gem against the Phillies. The Marlins drop the finale as Lee throws a complete game shutout and Slowey once again runs into trouble.

May 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay (34) delivers to the plate as Miami Marlins left fielder Juan Pierre (9) takes a lead off third base during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins just barley avoided a three game sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The win put them at 1-5 for their current nine game home stand.

Next up for the Marlins will be familiar division foes in the Philadelphia Phillies. The two teams have squared off seven times this season, with the Phillies winning four of the seven games.

To preview the series between the third place Phillies and the last place Marlins, I had an email chat with Justin Klugh, editor of That Balls Outta Here, the Fansided Phillies site. Justin and his staff do a wonderful job also of covering everything Phillies-related, from the latest news to full-analysis on just about everything.

Justin and I chatted about everything from if Charlie Manuel is on the hot seat due to the team’s struggles to if the Marlins are responsible for breaking Roy Halladay.

Without any further ado, here is my chat with Justin:

Ehsan Kassim: Did the Marlins break Roy Halladay?

Justin: Ha, ha. Yeah. Sure. You guys probably need that.

Ehsan: So being a Phillies fan is much better than being a Marlins fan, huh?

Justin: Yes, immeasurably so. I mean, we could both probably stand to take a long, hard look at ourselves.  But who wants to spend the day crying, again?

Ehsan: With the Phillies continuing to struggle, is Charlie Manuel on the hot seat?

Justin:  Man, we’re 8-7 in the month of May.  Just won our last three series. Well, we won one, split a four-gamer, and won this one.  Against the defending world champs and the hottest team in the game, with the Diamondbacks in between.  Let’s save the ‘struggle’ talk for when we’re losing seven games in a row.

But yeah, he is.

Ehsan: How much blame goes on GM Ruben Amaro?

Justin: A lot. This is debatable, but in the end, blame won’t even factor into the firings the Phillies pull off if things go sideways down the road. Charlie and Ruben are both of the same mind that a slower, more archaic approach to the game is best, which it is not. As we bounce back and forth between ludicrous highs and abysmal lows, the idea of a youth movement becomes all the more appealing – in that, watching a team struggle because it’s developing at least feels purposeful, rather than watching Ryan Howard and Delmon Young ground out weakly to the right side for 162 games.

If that idea becomes reality, I’d clean house, that includes Ruben. He’s clearly not the greatest at keeping prospects around. But that’s really pulling the rip cord, something nobody should be doing this early.

Ehsan: What’s the latest injury news on Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz?

Justin: They’re both getting MRIs and will join the Phillies Tuesday. You want both guys healthy and ready to play, but losing Ryan Howard’s bat from the lineup isn’t explosively cataclysmic. The dude’s just not hitting. Chooch, at least, is putting the ball in play, hitting it hard, just always at somebody. He’ll figure it out, if his hamstring isn’t too horrific.

That said, I like both of these guys tremendously and don’t want them to be hurt, just saying, losing Howard’s bat in 2013 isn’t as much of a blow as l

Ehsan: Over/under 15,000 fans at the game Wednesday, as the Heat play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the same time?

Justin: Oh man.  15,000?  You must be dreaming.  While we’re in this dream could Ryan Howard please be really, really good again?  Awesome, thanks.

A big thank you to Justin for taking his timeout to talk to us. We at Marlin Maniac wish all Philadelphia fans the best of luck in the upcoming series. If you get a chance, please check out That Balls Outta for the questions I answered for Justin.

April 29, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Mike Dunn (40) against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins avoided a sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks by picking up a 2-1 win on a nail biter of a final inning.  Regular closer Steve Cishek was brought in to seal the victory, but after allowing a couple of baserunners he was removed in favor of Mike Dunn.  Dunn was able to pick up the final out and preserve the rare victory.  The Marlins are last in the league in saves and Cishek has not been at his best all season. Could there be a change at the closer position coming soon with Mike Dunn taking over? Vote on the poll at the bottom of the article or leave us a comment.

Dunn pitching well in any situation for Marlins – Marlins.com

Left-hander Mike Dunn does not have a defined role in the Marlins’ bullpen this season. Other than closer Steve Cishek, nobody does.

Miami Marlins: Logan Morrison drops in before starting rehab assignment – Sun Sentinel

In uniform with the Marlins’ Sunday: sidelined first baseman Logan Morrison.  He was just visiting, but Morrison is inching closer toward wearing Marlins’ colors every day. Monday, he’ll begin a rehab assignment with Class-A Jupiter. He can stay on rehab as long as 20 days, but he can be activated from the disabled list as soon as May 30.

Former Marlins OF Cody Ross reflects on the surprising 2006 season – Palm Beach Post

The Marlins go into the tonight’s game 11-31 – the same record they had in 2006 after 42 games. In their 43rd game, the 2006 team started a four-game winning streak and went on to play competitive baseball into September. That team was 73-71 on Sept. 11 and 74-73 on Sept. 15 before finishing with a 78-84 record.

How Much Longer Can Miami Marlins Hold Christian Yelich Back? – Rant Sports

In a number of ways, the question of whether the Miami Marlins can continue to keep top prospect Christian Yelich down in the minors has a rather obvious answer.

Double trouble for Marlins’ offense – Marlins.com

Scoring runs hasn’t been the only problem at the plate for the Marlins. Staying out of double plays has been another.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

The Great, The Bad, and The Ricky Marlins Recap: Miami Marlins (11-32) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (25-18) 5/19/13

What a game! The best part was I got to see it live at Marlins Park. After driving 3 ½ hours from Orlando to catch the entire Arizona Diamondback series this was a nice way to end my trip. So, without further ado welcome to The Great, The Bad, and The Ricky. Here is the quick recap– The Great: we avoided a sweep by winning this game 2-1; The Bad: the Bottom of the 9^TH; and The Ricky: a great performance by Ricky Nolasco.

Down on the Farm Miami Marlins Daily Report: May 18th

After enjoying a ton of success in Double-A with the Suns, Flynn is still trying to find his groove in New Orleans. While Flynn has not been a flop in AAA, he has been nowhere near as dominating in AA ball. He owns a 3.99 ERA and a 3.81 FIP and has struck 30 in 29 2/3 innings, but he has also allowed 27 hits.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Sunday, May 19th 1:10 PM EST (Game 44)

The Miami Marlins cannot get the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Miami any faster. The Diamondbacks applied a major drubbing on the Marlins and Kevin Slowey on Friday and saw a first pitch of the game home run catapult them to a 1-0 victory in a pitchers duel.

Faith, Hope and the Plight of the Miami Marlins Fan

Sports fandom is a weird thing, it is like religious faith, really liking a band and a love affair all at once. Sports fans sacrifice so much of their time, sanity, emotion and even money in order to support a team. Marlins fans have been jerked around so much since the fire sale in 1997 that it has hard for us to still believe.

McCarthy Shuts Out Miami as Marlins Lose 1-0 on Leadoff Home Run

Marlins starter Tom Koehler put on a great show in his third career start on Saturday night, but the bats were too cold to pull out a win as the Miami Marlins lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0.

Tom Koehler Sparkling Performance Against Dbacks- A Pitch F/X Analysis

One of the reasons that I love baseball is the variety of outcomes and styles that it provides fans. Fans of pitching can see a start by a power pitcher like Jose Fernandez and breakdown how he did it.