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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Michael Jong: Hey everyone, welcome to the first of hopefully many installments of Shark in the Tank. Citrus Series Part 2 of this season starts tonight, and I’m here with Dustin Staggers of Rayhawk Review. How’s it going, Dustin?

Dustin Staggers : Going real well, thanks.

MJ: Sweet. As some of you may know, I’m Michael Jong of Marlin Maniac, and tonight we’re going to be talking a little Marlins-Rays. Let’s start with tonight’s matchup, Shields and Johnson going head to head. Interested?

DS: Of course!

MJ: What do you think of Shields so far this season? He seems like the best starter again for your club?

DS: If I were to go with the best starter, I would have to say Matt Garza. On the other hand, the consistency of Shields is something that every team covets.

MJ: Garza definitely has the most electric stuff in the staff, that’s for sure. But I like my team’s chances throwing out Josh Johnson on the mound. Get a chance to catch any of him pitch?

DS: He’s incredible. The talk of the season thus far has been Zach Greinke, but Johnson is having every bit as good of a season. 13 Quality Starts out of 15! That’s almost hilarious it’s so good. Guy is a stud.

MJ: Don’t we know it. Tonight’s matchup should be good. But I’m a bit more interested in tomorrow. Turns out Scott Kazmir is coming off the DL and starting Saturday night. What’s gone wrong with him? He’s lost some velocity it seemed, and he’s walking a lot of guys.

DS: We missed our chance to trade him. I’ve been preaching for 15 months, that it was time to move him. His contract is very lower market team friendly, and he is young and left handed. His control issues are not going away though. He over-pitches, instead of using his dominant stuff to overpower hitters. He will still have games where he looks electric, but for the most part, I feel like we are destined for 5 IP, 6K, 4BB performances.

MJ: Looks about right, he’s averaging 7 K’s and almost 6 BB’s per 9 innings! Not fantastic stuff. What do you think he can net now on the open market? Do you guys need anything?

DS: I’m a firm disbeliever in trading while someone’s value is low, which his is right now, so I hope we don’t attempt to move him. We need him to pitch some solid outings and prove his velocity is back and he’s got his head in the game. What our team desperately needs is a CL or great bullpen arm, but I think we have that already in David Price, we are just misutilizing him at the moment.

MJ: So you think Price should be in the pen? He did look awesome in limited outings late last year and in the playoffs.

DS: Exactly. He has proven on the biggest stage that he is capable of being a closer. I still think long term his best role is as a starter. I do feel though, that our team’s biggest weakness is in the pen, and when he goes out and has control issues, he is draining the part of the team that is already the weakest. Not a good combination.

MJ: I can’t say I disagree, though I’ve heard some talk about moving Kazmir to the closer spot. Let’s look overall. Your team has the best run differential in the American League, the best team wOBA in baseball, and the second best defense in baseball by UZR, but you’re only four games above .500 and 4th place in your division. Is the bullpen to blame for this? You guys are definitely playing better than your record shows.

DS: Ya, PYT record wise, I believe we’re 2nd in the game. I think bullpen is to blame, and our other biggest issue is failing to drive in the runs we put on base. We tend to leave 12-14 guys on base every single night. Couple untimely hitting with a bad set of options out of the pen, and you’ll tend to lose a few you should have won, at least that the stats indicate you should have won.

MJ: Sounds a lot like the Marlins problems, bad bullpen, untimely hitting. I’ve been tearing my hair out every
time some guy other than Hanley Ramirez grounds into a double play with 1st and 2nd with one out, something like that.

DS: You have a few guys who can drive you nuts with the bats, specifically Cantu and Uggla. Both guys can rake for sure, but they also (certainly in Cantu’s case) our DP machines. That’s never good for building leads, or maintaining them for that matter.

MJ: That’s definitely true, though I think they’re starting to come back into form and hit better. Cantu of course was hurt earlier in the season and played poorly in May because of it. Uggla’s been slumping all season but he’s batting .266/.372/.514 in June, so hopefully that starts regressing in the positive direction. Problem I really have is trying to figure out why our team is still playing someone with a .291 OBP. Is anyone on your team putting up the type of frustrating struggling season that Emilio Bonifacio has been showing off all year? You can’t be too happy with Burrell as your DH as of right now.

DS: No, Burrell has been disappointing at best. BJ Upton got off to a horrendous start, but was POW last week in the AL, so he has been coming around nicely. Only one real disappointment with the bat, but the bats of Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist, make up for that weak bat of Burrell thus far.

MJ: This I have to ask about. Bartlett and Zobrist have been huge for you with the bat this year. Bartlett’s got some glove value, but this season he’s rocking a .983 OPS, and Zobrist leads all Major Leaguers in that category. Have you seen anything that can explain that? Do you think that will stick?

DS: Yes actually. Jason Bartlett’s splits at the end of the season indicate a huge trend upward in almost all categories. Zobrist always looked like he had some pop in his bat, but I have to say that I’m a bit shocked at the power he has shown this season. He has filled in our two holes this year, RF and 2b (because of Aki’s injury) and filled them while producing big numbers in the middle of the lineup. On top of the fact that he is putting up those numbers, he’s doing them at clutch moments, which is very un A-Roid like, and makes me quite happy as a die-hard fan.

DS: How fun must it be to get to watch Hanley Ramirez play every day, this guy is a true beast?

MJ: Most assuredly, yes. You might have heard a little bit about Hanley’s bit with the media about being hit by a pitch, and that made me a little mad. He’s a bit of knucklehead sometimes, but I do love to see the power that guy has. He hit a grand slam against the Orioles last night that skyrocketed into the upper deck of a most empty Land Shark Stadium. Certainly was a sight to behold.
MJ: I do worry that his swing is starting to look more and more power inclined. He sometimes looks like he’s swinging like Andruw Jones, and we all saw what happened when Andruw couldn’t control his mechanics. But I think Hanley should be OK as we go forward.

DS: What the hell is wrong with Matt Lindstrom?

MJ: That’s as good a question as any. Turns out Lindstrom has been feeling some pain in his arm the last month or so, mirroring something that happened to our last closer last year. That might explain a little about why he couldn’t locate or do anything with his breaking ball. The velocity is there, he may just no be hitting his spots. I think he’s mostly been unlucky. He’s getting over 54% of balls in play on the ground, and they’re squeezing through to the tune of a .372 BABIP. That’s unfortunate, but it’ll happen with our infield defense.

DS: Final question on my end. Both of our teams are sitting at about the same spot in the standings. What chance do you feel the Marlins have of winning the NL east, and even more importantly, advancing to the NLCS or the World Series. Secondly, what do you think of my Rays’ chances?

MJ: I think the Marlins have a decent chance to win the NL East. Each team in contention has major problems, from the Mets injuries and starters, to the Phillies starting and end of the bullpen, to the Braves terrible offense, especially in the outfield. The Marlins only need to fix the third base situation, bolster the bullpen, and have the players who they’re counting on, guys like Uggla and Ricky Nolasco, to play the way they’re expected and capable of playing.

For the Rays, you guys have an excellent chance. The run differential says it, you guys are very, very good. Some breaks probably need to fall your way, but it seems like the offense is for real. The only thing I’d be worried about is helping your pen out with a good arm. Oh, and the Red Sox, those guys are tough. We saw them a week ago, and they are scary good.

I’d say our teams have even chances. Playoff time, that’s a much different beast.

DS: I agree with every single point you just made, concerning both of our teams, and the Red Sox!

MJ: Well Dustin, it’s been informative and fun, thanks for coming in and chatting with me about the two Florida teams. Best of luck and success for both our squads as we go forward. Except for this series, I want the Fish to win!

DS: Great conversation, and I really appreciate it. Go Rays!!!