August 20, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins catcher

Days like this and months like May are glimpses of the potential that we Marlins fans have been looking for all season long. How nice it was to see our guys come out and dominate a pitching staff!

Last night, the Marlins beat the Diamondbacks, 12-3. Giancarlo Stanton sent two over the fence, bringing him to five consecutive games with a round-tripper. Justin Ruggiano and John Buck also hit the long ball, and as a team, the Marlins logged 20 hits in the game, a feat not seen by Fish fans since July of 2008.

Mark Buehrle led the defense, going a full seven innings. He only gave up two earned runs on six hits, yielding no walks while striking out four. The relief was handled by Chris Hatcher, rocking his Clew Haywood for two innings, yielded one earned run on three hits.  Buehrle went walkabout from the bench to stay loose during the marathon 12-batter fourth inning.

The focus for the game, however, needs to stay on the offense.  John Buck (!) and Jose Reyes both went 4-5 on the night, and Carlos Lee went 3-5.  The only walk drawn was by Donovan Solano. None of the Arizona pitchers lasted more than 3 2/3 innings. In the fourth inning alone, the Marlins logged ten hits, as Carlos Lee actually registered a hit before getting thrown out at second on an 8-2-4 gotcha play. Lee now has 30 RBI’s in 42 games as a Marlin.

Gorkys Hernandez, Bryan Petersen, and Mark Buehrle were the only Marlins that didn’t get at least one base hit.

Coming off the heels of two 6-5 wins in a series split with Colorado, the Marlins are continuing to perform well in the NL East.

August 4, 2012;Washington D. C., USA;Miami Marlins second baseman

So…it looked like we were on our way to the second win in a row against one of the top three teams in baseball.  We had ‘em on the ropes, as a matter of fact.  But then… Reliever Mike Dunn flat-out blundered. On a crappy, basic PFP-drill flip from Carlos Lee to the covering pitcher, Dunn opened the door to a brutal six-run eighth inning that deflated, demoralized, and discombobulated what looked like a nice win for the Fish.

In a year where five of the starters fell far short of even modest expectations, tonight’s game was simply another nail in the coffin of what has turned into a season of difficult to swallow disappointments.

And yet, the Marlins still have promise, just maybe not for this year.  Rumors have been circulating around the possibility of a trade of Heath Bell and John Buck for the Mets’ Jason Bay.  The deal would be a benefit for both clubs, and both Bell and Buck are thought to be likely to clear waivers. It remains to be seen if Beinfest and Alderson can come to terms.

Jose Reyes extended his streak to 23 games, and Giancarlo Stanton is still slated to return from the DL on Tuesday.  It appears that as the starting rotation heads into a slump, the slumping bats are waking up and delivering the base hits that have thus far been AWOL.

Sunday’s matinee game features Ricky Nolasco facing Stephen Strasburg.  This will be the third time the Marlins have faced Strasburg this season, and we have yet to score a run on him.  Let’s hope today breaks that streak.

Prediction: Marlins by two in an upset.

Dec 5, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Marlins president of baseball operstions Larry Beinfest (left) announces the signing of closer

The trade deadline has come and gone.  Are the Marlins better off? I’d like to weigh in with a review of the hits and misses…

Detroit: Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez for prospects Jacob Turner, Brian Flynn, and Rob Brantly. My take is that this was an OK trade by Beinfest. Sanchez and Infante were nearing free agency, and would have represented a pretty big hit to the payroll next year.  Although they both seem to be having decent seasons, neither is a marquee player.  In exchange, we got the #22 ranked prospect pitcher in all of baseball, and a decent young catcher.

The Los Angeles Blockbuster:  Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. A win for both clubs.  The Marlins unloaded an unhappy and underperforming Hanley Ramirez, in his third down year after an all-star 2009 season. Despite his fall from superstar status, he still represents a substantial improvement for the glaring weakness that is the left side of the Dodgers infield.  Choate’s role for the Marlins was limited to LOOGY, but he was an effective one. In exchange, we picked up an unremarkable prospect in McGough and what is looking like an excellent replacement for Anibal Sanchez.  Eovaldi’s first start was a very good one. How he fares against the Braves tonight will clarify the picture.

Pittsburgh: Gaby Sanchez and Kyle Kaminska for Gorkys Hernandez:  Another win for the Marlins.  It’s sad for me to see Gaby collapse the way he did, but trading him and an unremarkable minor-league reliever for a decent young outfielder with a good upside was a plus for the Marlins, especially since the announcement that Logan Morrison is headed to the DL for the foreseeable future.

If-I-Mighta-Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda: There was a late rumor circulating that the Marlins were talking to the Mets about swapping John Buck and Heath Bell for Jason Bay. If my prayers get answered, this is one rumor that becomes reality.  Both Bell and Buck are underperforming contract albatrosses, and we could use Bay to let Morrison replace Carlos Lee at first when the time comes. While the two teams weren’t able to come to terms before the non-waiver deadline, it looks like all three player would clear waivers if a deal gets struck between the two clubs. Keep your fingers crossed.

August 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher

The Marlins, led by an abbreviated start by Wade LeBlanc, opened the third game of the Atlanta series with a three-run inning that the Braves were unable to answer.  Good performances by the bullpen arms of Carlos Zambrano, Heath Bell, Mike Dunn, and Steve Cishek held the Braves on the reservation in a 4-2 victory last night.

Notable performances included Jose Reyes’ extension of his hitting streak to one game shy of a career-best 20 games. If not for an umpire’s inability to see puffs of chalk and an acrobatic snag from Atlanta shortstop Paul Janish, Reyes’ hit stat would have read “5” instead of “2.” Carlos Lee hit 3 consecutive RBI singles, and the battery tallied two doubles. The Marlins went 4-9 on team RISP, a considerable improvement, but still stranded 8 runners on 12 base hits.

The game also marked the Miami debut of trade deadline acquisition (from Pittsburgh) Gorkys Hernandez, who entered the game at left field in the seventh inning.  He struck out in his only AB.

Wade LeBlanc made his first start as a Marlin, going 4 1/3 innings with 5 hits, 1 walk and one earned run on 3 strikeouts. Manager Ozzie Guillen, in an effort to ease LeBlanc into a starter’s greater pitch count demand, set a 75-pitch limit on LeBlanc, bringing Zambrano in on relief after 71 pitches. When Guillen went to the mound to relieve LeBlanc, it was clear that he felt he was strong enough to continue, and he tried to make a case for himself.

Defensively, the team played well, turning three double plays and committing no errors.

Tonight, the Marlins will try to force the Braves to a push before leaving for Washington for the middle series of the 3-stop road trip. Nathan Eovaldi makes his second start as a Marlin, facing 24-year-old lefty Mike Minor.  Eovaldi did very well in his first outing out of the Dodger Blue. Both Ozzie Guillen and catcher John Buck are impressed with Eovaldi, commenting on the command of his 96 MPH fastball, and his willingness to use a wide spread of pitches and locations.  Minor had a rough start this year, with a 6.20 ERA at the end of June, but excellent outings in July have lowered it to 5.18.

Prediction: It’s high time the Marlins regressed to better baseball, and it looks like Eovaldi is the man to lead it.  Bats have been much better lately, and the dreaded RISP number is improving. Marlins by three.

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.