May 6, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder

To continue a long-standing tradition, I conducted an email interview with Justin, editor of Chicken Friars, the FanSided blog for the Padres.

Here are his answers to my questions:

1) The Pads have struggled to keep pitchers healthy this year. Do you see trade activity stabilizing? What transactions may affect the series?

The Padres aren’t looking to bring in any starters at this time.  This season is a lost cause, but there have been signs of life from the offense.  They have who they think will be their ace in Cory Luebke.  He’ll be back next season.  They have Tim Stauffer who is a veteran, and when healthy can anchor the rotation.  And they have Edinson Volquez.  Volquez is interesting because he seems to be getting better as the season goes on.

Beyond the current 25-man roster players, the Padres like what they have in the farm system.  Casey Kelly is injured this season, but you can expect to see him in the rotation next year.

The only transaction that may affect the series would be one including Chase Headley.  Headley is the biggest trade chip on the Padres roster.  However, San Diego is asking for so much in return, it may not happen.

2) Please comment on the following matchups:

      a) Today: Kip Wells vs. Carlos Zambrano.

Zambrano is wild, and the Padres have taken the 10th most walks in all of baseball as a team.  However, Wells has struggled this year, which is to be expected.  After all, this is first year back in the big leagues since 2009.

     b) Tomorrow: Ross Ohlendorf vs. Nathan Eovaldi.

Your guys have faced him far more often than us.  What’s the history there?     The Padres actually haven’t faced Eovaldi.  He has managed to miss the Padres every time his start came up.  Ohlendorf is really more of a bullpen guys for the Padres, so as long as Eovaldi doesn’t crumble under Ozzie Guillen’s pressure in Miami, the Marlins have a good shot in this game.

     c) Sunday: Clayton Richard vs. Josh Johnson.  Assuming JJ is still a Marlin, of course.

I have a feeling, Johnson will not be making this start in South Beach.  If he does, I’d expect the game to be close.  Johnson has been decent against the Padres in his career, but his ERA of 3.90 against them in 32 innings-pitched is actually his fifth highest ERA against any opponent.  Clayton Richard is actually one of the Padres’ most reliable starters.  He may have the most losses in the league, but he allows base runners to score too often.  He is only stranding about 68% of base runners.

3) We have legendary troubles with getting runners around to the plate.  How do you see the Pads capitalizing?

The Padres have a similar problem, so both teams will probably just cheat.  During time outs, I expect base runners to sneak to the next base, hoping the umpires and opposing team don’t catch them.  In all seriousness though, the Padres are sending three pitchers to the hill in this series with ERA’s over 4.00.  Considering the Pads only score 3.64 runs per game, Miami has a solid shot at getting runners around to score.

And, in response, here are my answers to his questions:

1) Are the Marlins done dealing, or are they going to sell off much more?

My gut tells me that they’re done with headline trades.  Their ask for JJ is rumored to be astronomical, much like Headley. Plus, I think the citizenry would be breaking out the torches and pitchforks if Loria traded JJ away for anything less than 2 All-Stars and a top-shelf prospect.

2) It’s been a little over half a season, what are your thoughts on Ozzie Guillen as the new Marlins manager?

Dynamite.  He brought small ball back to Miami.  We’re tops in the league for stolen bases, and by a comfortable margin. Those few times that we’ve managed to drive in runs, we have months like May. The Castro flap was just that.  A flap that gave the national-level press some grist for their anti-Marlin mill. If any coaching changes are to be made, it would be Eduardo Perez, the hitting coach. When that many good hitters are performing that poorly, you have to look at common factors, and the top of that list has to be the hitting coach.

3) Is Heath Bell really as bad as he seems out there in Miami?  He was deteriorating slightly in San Diego, but that was a fast drop-off.

It’s looking more and more like Heath Bell might be an albatross.  He leads the league in blown saves, and instead of owning his mistakes, he’s been heard to blame his catcher.  John Buck may be having one of the worst hitting years of his career, and he’s never been a Gold Glove defensive catcher, but his pitchers almost never shake him off.  His best asset is his ability to call a game, and for Bell to toss him towards the nearest public transportation conveyance is the act of a weak man in trouble. I think that if Bell were to lose some weight and get fitter, it would be easier for him to get his chest down on his follow-through, and his consistency would improve. Right now, his mechanics look awful.  Stiff as a board and upright.

4) Is Jeffrey Loria the most hated man in all of Miami?

It’s a tossup between him and Samson.  They outwrangled the city to build the stadium, and the locals are blaming him for cutting the best deal he could, rather than blaming the city fathers for rolling over like a beaten dog. He’s also carrying around his history with Montreal and the actual fire sale he had in the pre-’06 season. My take is that they made all the right moves in December, and it looked like they had all the pieces in place.  In March, no one would have guessed that five players would have an offensive meltdown. The front office is trying to make a change, and so far, it looks good.

Jun 01, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman

With league lows in hitting statistics, the Marlins just traded Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate for two more pitchers. On the surface, it seems indicative of past head trauma to do nothing but pick up pitchers when bats are the critical need.  However, the Marlins may be taking a little bit of a long view, as they managed to dump $15.75m of payroll in the process. Hanley was owed $31.5m over the next two years.

The next big question looming is Josh Johnson.  His stellar outing Monday night certainly increased his marketability, and the front office may have him in mind as the asset to trade for some big bats.  Placido Polanco, Michael Olt and Chase Headly are potential third basemen. Headly would bring the most offense to the lineup, but the price in prospects may be too high.

The biggest short-term impact for the trade is most likely in the clubhouse.  Hanley is in his third “down” year, and there are still rumors of discontent that persist about the fragility of Hanley’s happiness.  The press has been using words like “moody” and “mercurial” about Hanley, and the impact of a bad attitude in the clubhouse can be infectious.

Jeffrey Loria has admitted bewilderment and disappointment as to the reasons his on-paper, pre-season pennant-winning lineup has underperformed to a 12 ½ game gap, while Ozzie Guillen has admitted that “[h]e needs to have a fresh beginning.”

The press and fans seem to be united that the Marlins’ seller’s mentality is an admission of error at the start of the year, but I tend to disagree with that sentiment.  The team has performed remarkably well, given the abysmal RISP with two outs and LOB numbers this year, and some of ninth-inning struggles on the mound. The mental picture of our record with the addition of glaring defensive problems is not a pretty one, to be sure.

There are six days to go before the deadline.  I hope the front office adds some offensive punch, and that last night’s trade becomes that catalyst that propels the team to a winning August and September.

However, it is not a good thing when your manager feels like this, even after a win:

”There’s a lot going on,” Guillen said. ”We have a lot of concerns.”

The two biggest concerns for the Marlins remain, Josh Johnson and Heath Bell.

Josh Johnson struggled again in his start, this time failing to make it out of the third inning, after being handed a 5-0 lead after 1. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

Source: FanGraphs

The game started out perfectly for the Marlins. Jose Reyes got a lead off-single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, Emilio Bonifacio then walked, and Hanley Ramirez lined a three-run home run to left field. The Marlins were not in the first inning yet. After Greg Dobbs grounded out, Omar Infante beat out an infield single. Giancarlo Stanton came up next and blasted a two-run shot to deep center field.

Just like that, the Marlins had a 5-0 lead before their ace even took the mound. This felt like a game that the Marlins were going to win easily.

Josh Johnson was unable to hold that lead and it was very obvious early on that Johnson did not have his best stuff. In the first inning, after recording the first two outs fairly easily, Johnson allowed two singles and plunked Chase Headley to load the bases before striking out Orlando Hudson to end the inning.

The third inning was the inning that everything unraveled for the Marlins. After the Marlins first two hitters reached in the top of the inning, San Diego Padres pitcher Anthony Bass was able to retire the next three hitters to get out of the inning. Boy, do the Marlins wish they could have cashed in with that opportunity.

In the bottom of the third, Josh Johnson fell apart and did not even make it out of the inning. Johnson threw 36 of his 67 pitches in the third.

Johnson opened the inning by walking Will Venable. Johnson then got Mark Kotsay to pop out, but allowed a run-scoring double to Chase Headley. Johnson was then able to induce a ground ball out to retire Yonder Alonso for the second out of the inning. The Marlins and Johnson were looking poised to take a 5-1 lead into the fourth inning. Tragically, the Marlins did not leave the third inning with the lead or their ace.

Nick Hundley roped a double and Orlando Hudson made up for his first inning strikeout with a run-scoring single. All of a sudden, the Marlins lead shrunk to just 5-3. Hudson stole second base when Brett Hayes, starting in the place of John Buck, again, short hopped a throw to second. Johnson then walked former Marlin Cameron Maybin and Jason Bartlett to load the bases for Anthony Bass, the pitcher. Perfect chance to get out of the inning with the lead in tact?

No, Bass lined a base hit, one that should have been just a single, that got passed Stanton and cleared the bases. The young pitchers first Major League hit was a three-run triple. The Padres had a 6-5 lead. Johnson was immediately removed and Dan Jennings was brought in to make his second big league appearance.

Josh Johnson was not too happy with himself following the game:

“Physically, I feel good,” he said. “When you throw the ball in the middle of the plate, it’s going to get hit. If you look at all of them, right down the middle. I’m wearing my bullpen out, which kills me, especially today. We get the five runs early, and then just squander that lead like that. It’s unacceptable.”

The Marlins were able to tie the game back up in the top of the fourth inning, after Jose Reyes beat out a double and scored on a balk. Reyes, on third base, was able to put pressure on Bass with his speed and when he faked to steal home, Bass stepped off, causing the balk and the tie ball game.

Jose Reyes celebrates after scoring on a balk by pitcher Anthony Bass. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

The score remained the same until the bottom half of the fifth inning. Chad Gaudin was the pitcher for the Marlins.  A single by Mark Kotsay would score Bass to give the Padres a 7-6 lead.

Anthony Bass finished the game going six innings and Luke Gregorson replaced him in the top of the seventh inning. Gregorson walked Bonifacio with one out. With the Padres expecting Boni to steal, they decided to pitch out, the pitch got away from Gregorson, allowing Boni to take second. After Hanley popped out, Greg Dobbs lined a single to score Bonifacio, Dobbs alertly got to second base on the play, which set up nicely when Omar Infante picked up a base hit to score Dobbs. This gave the Marlins a 7-6 lead in the seventh.

Ryan Webb pitched the bottom of the seventh for the Marlins. After striking out the first two hitter, Webb allowed an infield single. Webb was done and Randy Choate was brought in. After two passed balls and a walk, the Padres had runners on the corners, trailing by just one. Choate was able to settle down and get Kotsay to ground out to end the inning.

The Marlins went down one-two-three in the eight inning, the only eventful play during that inning was when Reyes laid down a bunt, it seemed like he was going to beat it out, but he was running inside the base paths, so the umpires called him out on runners interference to end the inning. Choate was able to retire the Padres easily in the bottom of the inning and the Marlins went down without a fight in the top of the ninth.

This set up another save opportunity for struggling closer, Heath Bell.

The save opportunity did not start the way Bell wanted it to. Jesus Guzman lined a double down the right field line, and Cameron Maybin would tie up the game with his very own double. Barlett then put down a sac bunt to move Maybin to third base with one out. A game the Marlins lead 5-0 after one inning was looking like a game they would end up losing.

With one out, the Marlins opted to walk Andy Parrino to set up a double play. Bell was then able to strikeout Chris Denorfia before the Marlins decided to intentionally walk Kotsay to load the bases. Bell was then able to induce a ground ball to get out of the inning. The Marlins had successfully blown a 5-0 lead and a 8-7 lead to allow the game to go into extras.

No scoring opportunity action took place until the bottom of the eleventh. Former Marlin John Baker had a chance to drive in a former Marlin, Maybin, to win the game. Steve Cishek was able to get him to ground out to end the inning.

In the twelvth inning, Hanley Ramirez led the inning off with a walk. After Dobbs struck out, Omar Infante lined a double to the gap in left-center. Hanley Ramirez was able to score from first base on the play, and the Marlins had a 9-8 lead in extra innings. The Padres then walked Stanton to get Cishek to the plate, with no one available to pitch, Cishek hit for himself and laid down a beautiful sac bunt. Infante did not get a good jump and was thrown out at third. Brett Hayes struck out to end the inning.

Cishek was able to pitch out of a mini-jam in the ninth inning, his third inning of work, to ensure the Marlins with a 9-8 win, their fourth consecutive win.

The game lasted4 hours and 45 minutes and ended at 2:52 A.M. EDT. I was able to watch most of the game, but was falling asleep on my bed watching extra innings. I did catch Infante’s big hit, but I do not recall watching Cishek pitch at all. The Marlins won, so that is all that matters.

Apparently the reason for Cishek’s strong three inning, 52-pitch performance was gummy bears. This is what Cishek told Frank Forte after the game:

“Gummy Bears are Delicious”

Brett Hayes slips Steve Cishek a victory celebrating gummy bear. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

They certainly are Cishek, maybe give some to Heath Bell to help him?

Ozzie Guillen was noncommittal when it came to saying who was the Marlins closer after the game:

“Bell continues to struggle,” Guillen said. “We will recheck tomorrow what will be that situation, closing. We’ve got to do something about it. We can’t be waiting any more. Then we’ll figure out tomorrow. We might talk to him about it.

Tonight, Mark Buehrle will take the mound for the Marlins, looking to rebound from his struggles in his last start. He will be opposed by Clayton Richard for the Padres.

Prediction: The Marlins continue their winning streak behind a complete game shutout from Buehrle. The Marlins win the game 4-0.

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