Apr. 28, 2013; Phoenix AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks batter Cody Ross (7) singled to center in the fifth inning against Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports Images

The Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks will kick off a three game series later today in Miami.

To preview the series between the second place Diamondbacks and the last place Marlins, I had an email chat with Tom Lynch, a staff writer on Venom Strikes, the Fansided D-Backs site. Venom Strikes has to be one of the cooler names out there for any sports site and they also do a great job of covering everything Diamondbacks-related.

Tom and I chatted about everything from the the questionable decison to trade their superstar Justin Upton to the impact of former Marlin fan favorite, Cody Ross.

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

May 9, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) stands on the on-deck circle during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT

Ehsan Kassim: What were your thoughts on the Justin Upton trade initially and what are your thoughts on it today?

Tom Lynch: I thought the trade was lousy then and I still think it is lousy.  I can’t wrap my head around the fact that a 25 year old star who seemingly didn’t cause any trouble with no worries about free agency is no longer with the team.  Nothing against Martin Prado who will be just fine and has been great with his versatility but he can’t carry a club like Justin Upton can.  Plus, he was a product of the farm system.  Very rarely if ever does the team trading the superstar player get equal value in return.  Marlin fans know that with Miguel Cabera.  However, it is over and done with and the less I think about it, the better.

Ehsan: So, Heath Bell is your closer? How bad does that suck? (Wait, I think I know the answer to that!)

Tom: Isn’t there a saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, that’s a bit of a stretch but Bell has been better than you think.  His ERA is out of whack because he was bombed in his first outing.  He has six saves and unless my eyes were playing games with me, I did see him get up to 96 on the gun the other night.  The deal was a head-scratcher at the time but Kevin Towers made a wise decision by trading for him.

Ehsan: Cody Ross was a fan favorite in Miami for so many years. How is he doing in Arizona?

Tom: Ross is exactly what he has done over his career.  He is killing lefties to the tune of a .386 batting average.  He started the season on the disabled list and has progressed nicely with his overall average up near .300.  Like the rest of the team, he has struggled with runners in scoring position, hitting .241.   He seems to fit the mold of what the D’backs want and a term we have heard endlessly:  gritty.  Plus, having a guy on the team who bats righty and throws lefty is always cool. 

Ehsan: Has Paul Goldschmidt established himself as one of the better first baseman in baseball?

May 8, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) follows through on a solo home run in the eighth inning as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis (17) watches at Dodger Stadium. The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tom: A resounding yes.  He is tied for second in the National League in home runs with 10, third in RBI’s with 31 and is tied for sixth in batting at 322.  Plus, he has come up with big hit after big hit.  At times, he is the D’back offense who has improved his defense greatly.  He also will steal a base when the opportunity arises.  Recently, he destroyed the Dodgers during a three game series in Los Angeles pounding out four home runs.  Ask someone from Lasrodaslair what they do when they see Goldy face Chris Capuano.

Ehsan: How has the Diamondbacks pitching staff fared in 2013? Which pitchers will the Marlins face in this series?

Tom: First up will be Trevor Cahill.  After struggling early, the sinkerballer has found a groove but little run support to show for it.  He is only 2-4 but his ERA is 2.70.  Walks are an issue at times as he has issued 20 free passes in 50 innings.  He does strike people out (39) which when combined with the walks may explain why he hasn’t pitched six full innings in half of his starts. Saturday will feature Brandon McCarthy who is still searching for his first D’back victory.  His last start should have been it as he threw eight shutout innings only to have Heath Bell sabotage him.  The ERA is coming down as each start is better than the last one.  Sunday, Wade Miley goes to the hill.  He has struggled in three of his last four starts.  Control has been an issue has he has walked three or more batters in a game in four of his eight starts.  After finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting, here is hoping he is not hitting the dreaded sophomore slump.

Ehsan: Make a bold prediction for the series. Which D-Back hitter will have a huge series? Which pitcher?

Tom: I look for Martin Prado to come up big.  He is pressing under the weight of expectations as the main player in the Upton trade and perhaps a somewhat familiar venue will help him get on track.  As for the pitcher, my money is on Heath Bell slamming the door twice on the Fish and blowing kisses to the crowd as he exists the field on Sunday.

A big thank you to Tom for taking his timeout to talk to us. We at Marlin Maniac wish all Arizona fans the best of luck in the upcoming series. If you get a chance, please check out Venom Strikes for some of the best D-Backs content on the internet.

Mar 14, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; United States relief pitcher Steve Cishek (40) throws in the seventh inning against the Dominican Republic during the World Baseball Classic at Marlins Park. The Dominican Republic won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After trading Heath Bell this off-season, the Marlins are heading into 2013 with Cishek set to take over the closer role. Drafted by the Marlins in the 5th round of the 2007 draft, Cishek was never looked at to be a major contributor. If everyone is honest, not too many Marlin fans actually knew who the kid was 3 years ago.

However the silence only propelled Cishek even more. Minus a couple down seasons, Cishek had been very good and very consistent in the minors. The sinkerballer catches many eyes due to his weird and funky side arm delivery. He also carries with him an above average slider, a healthy fastball, and a developing change up. The 26 year old Cishek used his delivery and talents to earn a consistent spot in the Marlins bullpen the past 2 years and has thrived. In 2012, Cishek pitched his way to a 2.69 ERA while added 15 saves. He also recorded 68 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. While he has room to improve (need’s to drop his BB’s and tendency to be wild), he is starting to catch the eyes of some baseball greats.

Perhaps his best accomplishment in his career to date, Cishek was given a spot to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and did nothing but impress. An example was the game against the loaded Dominican Republic. Steve entered the game during the 7th inning with the go ahead run at second. Facing Miguel Tejada, Cishek forced a comebacker to the mound on an 0-1 count. Using his momentum, Cishek came back out for the 8th to strike out two of the best infielders in baseball in Robinson Cano and Hanley Ramirez on three pitches each. He also got a ground out from power hitting Edwin Encarnacion. Impressive indeed! In fact, Cishek has impressed so much he has caught the eye of Greg Maddux and Joe Torre.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about him,” Torre said. “The people that have seen him basically talked him up because of his ability. He’s special, there’s no question. I mean, his ceiling is pretty high for me. I was very impressed with him.”

“He’s done it every time,” Maddux said. “He’s kind of saved us when guys have been on base. He kept the game right there, kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win. It just didn’t work out for us. I like watching him pitch.”

As Torre pointed out, both he and Maddux were not too familiar with Cishek coming into the competition. I think it’s safe to say they, along with a lot of other avid baseball fan’s now know who this Cishek guy is.

“I wasn’t lucky enough to see him (the last couple of years),” Maddux said. “Very impressive. He’s got a very good delivery. He repeats it. He throws strikes. He throws hard. He throws from a weird angle. He can change speeds, He can control his emotions. He does everything you want a good closer to do.”

Cishek, one of my personal favorite players, not only has his baseball game down, but also his passion for the game. Known as a great team player and leader, you can also catch Cishek talking up his team and personal game on his twitter account. You can also see his fire and determination as he performs on the mound. He is always locked in and is that type of player that you know will give you his best effort every outing he makes. As a coach and GM, that is all you can ask for.

“I think we’ve seen a pretty good example of his passion,” Torre said. “He’s been pumped up after he’s done the job.”

I think the World Baseball Classic was just a sneak peak for what the future hold’s in Cishek. This kid has potential out the roof, and has the drive and persona to make his adjustments pay off. While there may not be to many leads for the Marlins going into the 9th on the season, when they do have one, Cishek will do his job.

Aug 11, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Heath Bell (21) wipes his face during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Marlins have sent albatross Heath Bell to Arizona in a 3-way deal that leaves the Fish with $8m of his baggage littering the payroll room and a shiny, new high-A infielder that used to play High School ball in Lakeland.

Bell is gone, as is most of the remaining money on his contract, and we picked up Yordy Cabrera from Oakland.  Cabrera is a 22-year-old former second-round pick likely to start off in Jupiter next year.

Cliff Pennington, an Oakland second baseman, is packing his bags for Arizona as part of the deal, and the Dbacks are sending outfielder Chris Young to Oakland, along with $500k.

The troubled saga of Heath Bell and his serial blame game are now Arizona’s problem.  I think Bell could be a terrific closer, but he needs to spend the off-season whipping himself into shape, and he needs to refresh his mechanics.  I think the worst of his woes as a closer came from his head-high, upright follow-through.

May 13, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Heath Bell reacts to blowing a save to the New York Mets in the top of the ninth. The Marlins scored six in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Mets 8-4 at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

<bitterness on>

The Fish finally took the 2012 season out to the South forty and put a bullet in it.  Here’s the bad news in one convenient, if bilious summary:

Win -Loss:

69-93, tying the Red Sox, and only better than the Twins, Rockies, Cubs and Astros.

Hitting/Offense:

Team Batting Average with Runners on Base: .241. Somehow, the Cubbies managed to crawl into the all-MLB cellar with us on this gem of a stat.

Runs: 609. Only beaten for dead last by the Astros, at 583, and only 199 out of first place.

HR: 137.  Only 108 shy of the (damn) Yankees. What a squeaker!

RBI: 576.  Third from the bottom, ahead of the Cubs and Astros.

SB: 147, a very respectable third place.  Thank you Emilio, and thank you, Jose.

Pitching/Defense:

K/9: 6.95. We beat only two teams: The Twins and the Indians.

BABIP: .300, eighth in MLB.

ERA: 4.10, 10^th in MLB.

WHIP: 1.35, also 10^th in MLB.

E: 103, better than the playoff-contending Tigers, Dodgers, Angels, Reds, Braves, Nationals, and (damn) Yankees. Let’s hope that doesn’t change this winter!

Conclusion:

The Marlins, as I’m sure everyone agrees, could have done much better this year than they did. I’m sure there will be a lot of chin-pulling in Little Havana between now and February 22, when pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter.

Special Recognition:

Prima Donna closer Heath Bell gets a special call-out. In the 2012 season, the fickle finger-pointer managed to be a clear contender for the Worst Closer in all of Baseball.  The $9m/year whiner managed to nab the #2 spot for blown saves at 8.  He blew only one game fewer than Milwaukee’s John Axford.  However, John managed 35 saves as compared to Bell’s 19.  Yup, it was the catcher’s fault, after all.

<bitterness off>

Aug 11, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Heath Bell (21) wipes his face during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Fans of W.E.B. Griffin’s potboiler series on the WWII-era Marine Corps will remember the character of Lt. R.B. Macklin III.  He has come to life, and is now wearing number 21 for the Marlins.  Demonstrating a finely honed inability to accept blame for failed performance, Heath Bell has most convincingly earned the horns of the goat he now wears.  Signed as a rock-star closer in last winter’s shopping spree, the only target Bell seems able to hit is his own foot. Blowing seven saves, unable to close the door even once for the first two months of the season, and sporting a 5.15 ERA, we now learn that it is Showtime’s fault.  Wait…Not Showtime, it was John Buck’s fault. Or not. It was Randy St.Claire.

Can he get any weaker?  I suppose he could hit the talk-show circuit and learn how to perform a weepy catharsis for the likes of the hosts of The View.  How about a self-serving open letter to the Miami Herald?  Crawl back to San Diego on his knees like a pathetic supplicant?

The idea that a blown save is anything other than the fault of the guy throwing the pitch is a clear indicator of a level of narcissism rarely found in professional sports, and usually only seen in players with the habit of referring to themselves in the third person. If you need an example, look for clips of interviews with Ricky Henderson.

I don’t see any way that Bell can recover from the hole he’s dug himself.  He’s lost the respect of his teammates by blaming his catcher (!) for calling bad pitches.  John Buck may have had a cold bat for most of the year, and he may need to spend some time doing transfer and blocking drills, but he gets his signs shaken off less than any other catcher I watched this season.  Bell has lost all credibility with his manager after having bolloxed up each of many opportunities to regain his job as the closer.  He’s shot himself in the foot with Beinfest, Samson, and Loria for running his mouth to the press.  He’s probably lost any shot at a closing job anywhere else in the league because he appears to have forgotten how to dominate ninth-inning batters, and now has the reputation of a whiny man-child.

Worst of all, he’s lost his self-respect by dropping blame grenades, and probably doesn’t realize it.