August 3, 2012; Washington D.C, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman

Brad Hand came up for a cup of coffee to fill in for a rain makeup game.  His outing was, unfortunately awful.  In is 3 2/3 inning appearance, he threw 96 pitches, walking six batters.  He gave up seven earned runs on six hits.  The Marlins were hoping he would be able to go at least six innings to help the bullpen get through the doubleheader. Needless to say, he’s back in New Orleans today. In relief, Ryan Webb and Chris Hatcher kept the Nationals from scoring for the rest of the game, but the damage was done. The Marlins fell, 7-4.

Despite the awful start, the Marlins scored four runs, with extra base hits logged by Jose Reyes, Donnie Murphy, and Brett Hayes.  Reyes’ hit streak was extended to 21 games with his bunt single in the first inning.

The second game last night was a horse of a different color.  Josh Johnson had a terrific outing, going to all but the last out of the game. Striking out nine in 8 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs, only one of which was scored as an earned run. Out of the 115 pitches he threw, 77 were in for strikes. The bite on his curveball and slider was better than usual, and his fastball location was spot-on.

Jose Reyes added game #22 to his streak with 3 hits and two runs scored across five at-bats. The Nationals were held to just five hits in a 5-2 Marlins win.

A struggling Mark Buehrle faces Jordan Zimmermann tonight for the third of the four-game series.  Buehrle hasn’t gotten to the fifth inning in his last three starts, and is due to regain his pinpoint command. However, despite minor shoulder inflammation that delayed his start by a day, Zimmermann has been on an tear. He brings a Major League-leading 0.97 ERA to the park tonight. I suspect Reyes will need a little luck to extend to #23.

Prediction:  Nationals take the win, and the Marlins don’t post three runs.

Led by the aggressive hustle of Bryce Harper, the Nationals handed loss 45 to the Marlins tonight.  Harper stretched a single into a double in his first at-bat on a Logan Morrison fielding error.  A few pitches later, while Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes were on the edge of the infield grass having a tête-a-tête with Josh Johnson, Harper noted that the ball was still in play, and hauled ass for third.   It was an outstanding example of the hustle that the Marlins would do well to emulate.

July 13, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman

Jordan Zimmermann led the Nats’ defense, notching 6 strikeouts  while holding the Fish to 1 run, a seventh-inning John Buck RBI.  The Marlins struggled once again at the plate, especially with the street-corner curve that Zimmermann was using as his “out” pitch.  The Marlins were clearly outmatched at the plate,  logging seven hits to score one run. Going 1-6 with runners in scoring position, it’s clear that the All-star break didn’t cure our batting woes.

Tonight marked the return of Emilio Bonifacio to the lineup and the first of a 4-6 week absence of Giancarlo Stanton.

A bad throw to first from Jose Reyes broke up a third inning double play opportunity that would have prevented the subsequent Ryan Zimmerman 2-run home run.

Josh Johnson struggled to find the strike zone, although his down-and-left slider was biting well. He struck out six on the way to giving up 5 earned runs after 5 1/3 innings.

To summarize:  The Nationals consistently hit hard line drives for base hits. We don’t. Jordan Zimmermann painted the corners tonight, and J.J. didn’t.

So, a disappointing start of the second half.  On the heels of the slap in the face from the League in not having any Marlins at the All-star game, I’m hoping that the team finds a way to dig deep and find the moxie that illuminated May.

Tomorrow night, Mark Buehrle faces Gio Gonzalez. My prediction that tomorrow night will once again look like the league leader facing a sub-.500 team, but I’d be very happy to be proven wrong.

Correction:  In my series preview, I incorrectly called this a three-game series.  Carlos Zambrano faces Edwin Jackson on Monday.  That game represents our best chance for a win in the series.

May 29, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher

The National League did their thing, and delivered a drubbing to the hated AL in a way that I sincerely hope sets the tone for the next 40 or so years.  The Marlins’ sole elected contributor got sidelined by “loose bodies” in his knee, DL’ing him for 4-6 weeks.

To get the season back on track, the Marlins are hosting the high-flying Nationals for a 3-game set starting tomorrow night (Friday the 13^th!). At three games under .500, the easy money gets put on the first place, 49-34 Nationals.  The Marlins are down a stud hitter with Giancarlo Stanton’s knee issue. Emilio Bonifacio is still out from a thumb injury, but he’s finished his rehab assignment and is due back any day.  Heath Bell, I’m sad to say, looks like a golfer with the yips.  Until the closer situation is resolved, there remains a big question on the hill.  Possible options are Steve Cishek and Juan Oviedo (available soon).  The bottom line still puts the Nationals as heavy favorites.

The first game pits Jordan Zimmermann (5-6, 2.61 ERA) against Josh Johnson (5-5, 4.06 ERA).  Not to belabor a point, but unless our hitters continue to deliver offense, the Marlins’ biggest risk of loss will come from the late innings.

On Saturday, Gio Gonzalez faces Mark Buehrle.  This game should be one of the better pitching matchups of the year.  Sunday’s game has Stephen Strasburg lining up against Ricky Nolasco.  The nod has to go to Strasburg in this game, despite Nolasco’s better-than-average year.

Prediction:  I don’t see the Marlins winning in this series.  The Nationals are getting healthier as the season progresses, and their top players are having banner years.  Despite the addition of Carlos Lee, the loss of Stanton in the lineup will prove to be a major factor in this series, as will the uncertainty in the bullpen.

Series Hero: John Buck (0.402 WPA)
Series Goat: Chris Coghlan (-0.514 WPA)
Impressed by: Anibal Sanchez (7 IP, 0 R, 11 K, 0 BB, 0 HR)
Depressed by: Chris Coghlan (14 PA, 1 H, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 K)

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