May 18, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins mascot Bill the Marlin performs prior to a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On May 17, 2013 my wife and I hopped into our car and began our 3 ½ hour drive down to South Florida from Orlando. Why did we do this? Well to catch the 3 game home stand of the Miami Marlins vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks! Now people might be asking themselves why would I drive down to Miami to watch the Marlins when I have the Rays only an hour away… 1. I’m a Marlins fan, 2. I love the city of Miami, 3. I can go visit family (who were in Gainesville visiting my older brother and didn’t tell me), 4. I always have fun at Marlins Park, and 5. I LOVE THE MARLINS! So let’s break down what happened on this trip which made it so much fun.

Aug 17, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Livan Hernandez (61) pitches in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1

I pulled up to my parents place around 2 pm when my phone rang. On the other side of the line was a Marlins employee, who said that since I bought a Cuban Heritage ticket I won a chance to meet a former Marlin of Cuban descent. I said cool and asked who it was. LIVAN HERNANDEZ!!!! I flipped!! Livan is my all time favorite Marlins player and I finally get a chance to meet him. As soon as we unpacked the car we headed down to Marlins Park. Once I got there I got there I got to meet former Marlins Cuban player Livan Hernandez and current Marlins Cuban player Jose Fernandez. Afterwards we headed into the park where I got the coolest giveaway ever— a Miami Marlins Cuban Heritage café mug. This thing is so cool! When we headed to our seats we saw that our area had a Cuban band, kids from schools all over Miami-Dade County, and fellow Cubans. We lost 9-2, but oh my was the Cuban section loud! The band never stopped and the kids were jumping up and down having a blast. The night finally ended with an amazing fireworks show.

Game 2

The day started with a quick trip to the Swap Shop where I picked up a Marlins Bobble head and a Marlins Lawn Gnome. Then it was off to the park. We stopped by the Marlins store first because every Friday and Saturday there are players signing autographs. While we waited, my wife and I got into a conversation about who is currently the best Marlins player not on the DL. I said to that each player brings something to the club (I know very PC answer), but my wife said Justin Ruggiano. Not 30 seconds later Justin shows up to sign autographs! She had a good laugh at the perfect timing talked about how she thinks he is the best player on the team. Justin disagreed and said it is Miguel Olivo. We continued into the park where we met up with some friends and started watch the game. This was my kind of game. Despite the first pitch being out of the park, from there on out it was a pitching dual. I love those kinds of games! Marlins ended up losing 1-0, but the time I had with my friends and wife during the game, and it being a pitching dual to the very end, was just so much fun.

May 18, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Marcell Ozuna (48) dives to first base safely past Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) as first base umpire Brian O

Game 3

We headed to Davie to pick up some friends before the game. We parked and walked into the park where we got free MLB Network/Marlins draw string bag (you can never have to many Marlins bags). We sat and talked for a good while about the future of the team, what needs to be done to have a winning team again, and more baseball stuff. Then the game started and what a game! Boy was Ricky Nolasco on point today. It was great to see him pitch that well, and to be in the park as it happened was even better. He struck out 11 Diamondbacks. 11! To see Marcell Ozuna crush that double to give us the lead was awesome as well. The crowd was really into this game! The Marlins won 2-1. After the game we headed out to stand by where the players leave. Rob Brantly and Marcell Ozuna stopped and talked to everyone signed everyone’s stuff. They are two very classy young men. We ended our night enjoy a nice dinner talking about the Marlins. The next day we headed back home to Orlando.

So what is the point to all this? These were 3 very different games, and each had it own form of fun. According to everyone, the Marlins aren’t going to do anything this year. Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong, but they are still our Marlins and it is still such a blast to go watch a game at Marlins park! Win or lose the experience at the game is amazing. The park itself is beautiful, we get to watch baseball, and the people at the games always seem to be in a talkative mood. And to be honest tickets are not that much. The Marlins are always giving away tickets, and stub hub has tickets for as low as $6. So go out and enjoy a night at Marlins Park; win or lose you will have fun.

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins have won two straight ballgames and will be seeking their third consecutive victory Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have to feel comfortable about their chances, as they send out their best pitcher in 2013 and rookie phenom, Jose Fernandez. The Phillies will counter with Tyler Cloyd.

Tyler Cloyd	V	Jose Fernandez
1	GS	8
6.1	IP	44
2.84	ERA	3.48
3.19	FIP	3.44
4	K	44
3	BB	17

Marlins Lineup

Juan Pierre returns to the Marlins lineup as the team finally faced a right handed starting pitcher. He has done well since manager Mike Redmond placed him in a platoon role. Chris Coghlan is back in the lineup to give Justin Ruggiano a breather and because he has hit the ball well of late.

Phillies Lineup

Ryan Howard returns to the Phillies lineup in this one. He missed the first game of the series due inflammation in his left knee. Although he is not playing at prior Ryan Howard levels, he is still a force to be reckoned with in the lineup.

Bold Prediction: Jose Fernandez repeats his success against the Phillies and throws 7 shutout innings. Marcell Ozuna hits is second career home run. Marlins win 4-1.

May 19, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) greets a young fan before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins snapped their seven-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon and were able to avoid a sweep to the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the team’s first win of their nine-game homestand in six attempts.

The Marlins will have a chance to salvage their homestand and improve their embarrassing 6-16 mark at home in a three game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have sustained some success against the Phillies this season, going 4-5 against them this season.

The Marlins are hoping that seeing the Phillies pitching again can get their bats going. The Marlins dropped 14 runs on Roy Halladay and the Phillies the last time they faced off. Roy Halladay is currently on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins  May 20-22, Games 45-47

NL East	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	AWAY	L10	STRK
Braves	25	18	.581	-	12-5	13-13	5-5	W3
Nationals	23	21	.523	2.5	12-9	11-12	4-6	L2
Phillies	21	23	.477	4.5	11-12	10-11	5-5	W1
Mets	17	24	.415	7.0	9-12	8-12	3-7	W1
Marlins	12	32	.273	13.5	6-16	6-16	2-8	W1

Stadium: Marlins Park

Five-year Run PF*: N/A
Five-year HR PF*: N/A
Stadium Dimensions:
Left field line—340 ft.
Left-center field—384 ft.
Center field—416 ft.
Right-center field—392 ft.
Right field line—335 ft.

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

2013 Season Statistics

May 7, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Alex Sanabia (28) throws during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, May 20th 2013: Cole Hamels, PHI vs. Alex Sanabia, MIA

Command has been a major issue for Hamels in 2013, as he has walked 27 batters in 56.2 innings of work. His BB/9IP sits at 2.31 for his career, but is 1.5 higher this season at 3.81. He is also allowing home runs at a higher rate, allowing 1.43 per nine innings pitched. Both of these are a concern for Hamels, as he is having the worst season of his career. Hamels has made two starts this season against the Marlins, pitching 12 innings, allowing just 8 hits, and striking out 11 against 3 walks.

Sanabia has dropped five straight decisions, and has given up an average of four runs and seven hits per game. He has just two more strikeouts than walks on the season and has given up 56 hits in 45 innings. That is not a good combination, which has led to a very bad ERA, which is more generous than his FIP. Overall, Sanabia has been a colossal failure in 2013 and needs to be taken out of the Marlins starting rotation A.S.A.P.

Tuesday, May 21st 2013: Tyler Cloyd, PHI vs. Jose Fernandez, MIA

Cloyd was the choice for the Phillies to replace Roy Halladayin the rotation while he recovers from his shoulder surgery. He pitched six innings last time out, allowing just three

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

earned runs, but he walked three and only struck out four. Cloyd is not an ove, as his fastball averages around 86-87 MPH. He owns a career 4.58 ERA in over 39 major league innings.

Fernandez threw a career high 99 pitches last time out against the Cincinnati Reds. He tied his career high with 7 innings pitched, striking out five and walking three. Last time out against the Phillies, Fernandez had the best start of his young career. In seven innings, Jose struck out a career high nine hitters, while allowing just one hit and one walk. Fernandez has throw 13 innings against the Phillies this season and has allowed no runs on just three hits. He has struck out 14 Philly hitters and walked three. Safe to say Jose Fernandez owns the Philadelphia Phillies early on in his career

Wednesday, May 22nd 2013: Cliff Lee, PHI vs. Kevin Slowey, MIA

Cliff Lee continues to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in 2013. He has a 2.83 ERA and a 3.00 FIP in his first nine starts of the season. Lee has averaged over 7 innings a start in 2013, continuing to be one of the more durable pitchers in baseball. He has not faced the Marlins in 2013, but owns a 2.68 ERA in 53 2/3 innings.

Slowey will look to bounce back from his previous two starts, in which he has started to

May 17, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Kevin Slowey (45) reacts during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

regress towards his career numbers. His ERA has shot up almost two full runs in the past two starts, in which surrendered 11 runs on 18 hits in just 7 2/3 inning of work. This comes after he had a dominant start against the Phillies, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits. He struck out seven that game and walked just two.

Bold Prediction: The Marlins are able to steal the series from the Phillies by taking the first two games. Jose Fernandez turns in another gem against the Phillies. The Marlins drop the finale as Lee throws a complete game shutout and Slowey once again runs into trouble.

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Last night the Miami Marlins took on the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of the three game set. Sadly, the Marlins were just looking to get back on track as they came into the game losing seven out of their last eight games. With the team going through a slump, the Marlins turned to the rookie sensation Jose Fernandez. Throughout the season Fernandez has arguably been one of the most exciting and most efficient players on this depleted Marlins roster. Unfortunately, Fernandez’s strong outing wasn’t enough to put the Marlins back in the win column, as they went onto lose the game in extra innings 5-3.

It didn’t take long for the Marlins to get on the scoreboard, after left fielder Juan Pierre hit his first home-run of the season. However, after Pierre’s homerun to right field, the Marlins offense went cold. Pierre’s homerun was the only run the team was able to put up against the Reds. As usual, the Reds starting pitcher, Mat Latos was dialed in. Other than Pierre’s homer, Latos only gave up one more hit before being pulled in the eighth inning.

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips (4) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Although they struggled to, the Reds were finally able to take advantage of the Marlins struggling offense, after Brandon Phillips hit a home-run, giving the team a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning. With the Marlins inability to produce offensively, many thought the game was over. However, rookies Adeiny Hechavarria and Marcell Ozuna had something to say about that. It all started when Hechavarria hit an early one out triple to put the Marlins in an excellent position to tie the game. With the top part of the lineup due to make appearances, the Marlins definitely liked their chances of bringing Hechavarria home. Veteran Placido Polanco came to the plate in order to hit for the youngster Derek Dietrich. Unfortunately, Placido struck out swinging, leaving the game in the hands of the rookie Marcell Ozuna. In just his 15^th game in a Marlins uniform, everyone was about to see if he could deliver or not. With a man on third and two outs, the pressure was definitely on Ozuna to bring the run home; and he did. Not only was he able to bring Hech home, he also put himself in scoring position as he hit a two out triple. With Ozuna on third, Marlins manager Mike Redmond wisely had Justin Ruggiano come in to pinch hit for Chris Coghlan who is hitting a mere .210 this season. Unfortunately, the move didn’t pay off and we fans were treated to some extra free baseball.

The Reds came out wanting to end this game and as a result, the free baseball didn’t last long. The Reds quickly took the lead back from the Marlins after Brandon Phillips hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Donald Lutz. Apparently the run one run lead wasn’t enough for Jay Bruce as he hit a two run double to score Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto. The game quickly got out of hand and the Marlins were once again finding themselves in a difficult position.

Heading into the bottom of the tenth down by three runs, the Marlins had to quickly muster up some offense. With two outs, former extra innings hero Nick Green approached the plate. Many remember Green for his walk-off hit against the Mets a couple of weeks back, in a game that I thought was never going to end. It seemed like he still had some magic left in the tank. Although he failed to get a hit, he was able to get on base via walk, giving some hope to the Marlins and their fans. After what was ruled as a fielder’s indifference, Green was able to get into scoring position. Down by three, with a runner on second and two outs, the Marlins found themselves fighting to stay alive. Outfielder Matt Diaz came to the rescue, after a single to centerfield was able to score Green. Still down two more runs, the tying run came to the plate. The game was left in the hands of Juan Pierre who had hit a home-run earlier in the game. Sadly, he was unable to repeat his first inning at-bat, grounding out to second to end the game.

With yet another game played, the Marlins are still finding it near impossible to get into the win column. They have now lost eight out of their last nine games. With almost all the hope just about gone, the Marlins will turn to Kevin Slowey tonight to take on the second place Arizona Diamondbacks.

Thanks for Reading!

May 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) in the dugout during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Fernandez will be given the ball and seek to end another Miami Marlins losing streak. Fernandez pitched well last Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and was able to end a Marlins three game skid. Since his last start, the Marlins have dropped four straight games and will look to Jose to end the streak again.

Fernandez will be making his second start of the season and his career against the Reds. His first start did not fare too well, as he allowed five runs in just four innings of work. Marlins starting pitching has surrendered 10 earned runs in the first two games of this series.

Pitching Matchup:

Projected Lineup

The Marlins best hitter, Justin Ruggiano gets an off-day and that just makes the Marlins lineup a lot worse. Coghlan has proven that his rookie season was a fluke and that he is not a real major league player on a consistent basis. You have to figure when Giancarlo Stanton returns from his injury, Coghlan will be the outfielder ousted from the team.

Bold Prediction: Jose Fernandez exacts his revenge against the Cincinnati Reds and delivers a strong start for the Fish. Jose pitches seven shutout innings and racks up a career high 10 strikeouts. The Marlins offense struggles against Mat Latos, but are able to put enough on the board to get Fernandez his third career win. Marlins win 3-1.