Jun 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Miami Marlins first baseman Logan Morrison (5) scores a run in front of New York Mets relief pitcher Bobby Parnell (39) during the tenth inning of a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Good:

Logan Morrison made his 2013 debut today. After last year’s knee issues and his off season surgeries Logan made a splash in today’s game, going 2-4 with 2 singles, 1 run, and a BB. It’s great seeing a fan favorite return to the lineup and produce.  Here is hoping for a great and healthy rest of the season.

The Extra:

So how do the Marlins follow a 20 inning win? With a 10 inning win to take the series from the Mets, 8-4. It wasn’t easy by any means. Going into the 6^th the Marlins were down 4-1 until Marcell Ozuna double scored Ed Lucas and Derek Dietrich, bringing the Marlins within 1 run. That Mets lead wouldn’t last long, in the 8^th Derek Dietrich blasted a line drive over the right field fence tying up the game. In the 9^th the Marlins went 1-2-3, and the Mets got a leadoff walk the next 3 went down striking out. Into extra innings again. Here  is where the Marlins bat woke up. Adeiny Hechavarria started the scoring off by reaching on an error by Daniel Murphy bringing Logan Morrison home, then Greg Dobbs sac flied scoring Justin Ruggiano, and finally Miguel Olivo sent that ball over the left center field wall scoring Hech, giving the Marlins a 8-4 lead that the Mets couldn’t recover from. Steve Cishek came in and delivered a 1-2-3 inning. Not 20 innings, but I’ll take a win any day.

Two games, two extra innings, and the same result with wins by the Marlins. What great games. Here is hoping that the wins continue in the next series. Who knows, maybe they will go 21 innings. Till next time: Lets Go Fish!

May 1, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc (23) throws a pitch in the second inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Maimi Marlins completed a three game sweep of the New York Mets with an 11-6 victory on Sunday at Marlins Park.  It was the Marlins first sweep of the season and gives them a 6-3 record on the season against the Mets and a 10-38 record against all other teams they have faced.

The winning pitcher was Wade Leblanc who was credited with a deceiving 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.  The box score does not show that Leblanc entered the game with two Mets on base and would allow two runs to score that would be charged to starter Kevin Slowey.  Especially damning is that one of the runs was driven in on a single by left handed hitting Ike Davis, a player hitting .160 on the season against left handed pitchers.  Precisely the type of hitter Leblanc should shut down.  The end result is that Leblanc was designated for assignment after the game and the Marlins continue to shuffle arms through their bullpen.

Kotchman joining Marlins in series of moves –Marlins.com

The Marlins will reinstate first baseman Casey Kotchman from the 15-day disabled list on Monday after optioning outfielder Jordan Brown to Triple-A New Orleans on Sunday.  The club will also designate left-hander Wade LeBlanc for assignment on Monday and recall left-hander Edgar Olmos from Double-A Jacksonville.

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: June 1 – Fish Stripes

All three of the Marlins affiliates that played on Saturday came out victorious. Adam Conley had a very impressive start for Double-A Jacksonville.

Tom Verducci: Forty percent of MLB’s attendance drop can be attributed to the Miami Marlins – Yahoo.com

In his latest column for SI.com, Tom Verducci notes that Major League Baseball’s attendance is down 2.9 this season, which is fairly significant number. However, as he also reveals, those numbers are a bit skewed by a certain organization in the National League East. I’ll give you one guess.

Veteran Mathis to catch youngsters Fernandez, Turner – Sun Sentinel

Even with a right-hander on the mound Saturday, manager Mike Redmond gave right-handed hitting catcher Jeff Mathis the start over lefty swinging Rob Brantly.  The reason? Jose Fernandez

Miami Marlins on pace to challenge 1962 New York Mets’ modern ineptitude record – Palm Beach Post

The Marlins are off to the worst start in franchise history after 56 games — 15-41, on pace to finish with 119 losses.  That would come close to breaking the modern record for big-league ineptitude set by the 1962 expansion New York Mets, who finished 40-120 in their inaugural season.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

The Good, The Bad, and The Hitters Marlins Recap: Miami Marlins Vs New York Mets 6/2/13

That was a ball game! Welcome to the latest edition The Good, The Bad, and The Hitters Marlins recap. Let’s start off with a quick recap— The Good: the Marlins won 11-6; The Bad: Kevin Slowey’s short day; and The Hitters: the multiple Marlin players with multi-hits this game. Now with that out of the way, let’s move on to the full recap!

Casey Kotchman returning from DL, Wade LeBlanc to be designated for assignment

The wave of Miami Marlins players returning from the disabled list is going to start Monday, as the Miami Marlins will activate first baseman Casey Kotchman off the disabled list. Jordan Brown was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans after the Marlins 11-6 victory over the New York Mets to accommodate Kotchman on the active roster.

New York Mets @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Sunday, June 2nd 1:10 PM EST (Game 57)

Winners of a series for the just the second time this season, the Miami Marlins will look to pick up their first series sweep of the season on Sunday. The Marlins have played their best baseball the past two games, which has been led by dominant pitching and timely hitting. The Marlins are an amazing 5-3 against the New York Mets in 2013.

Down on the Farm Miami Marlins Daily Report: June 1st

Kevin Mattison has the worst stat line I have ever seen in professional baseball. He didn’t just pick up one hat trick, but he had two. Striking out three times in a baseball game, but six is amazing. Mattison owns a .254/.302/.424 slash line. He has struck out 49 times in 127 plate appearances.

Marlins Clinch Second Series Win of 2013, Beat Mets 8-1

On Saturday night, everything clicked for the Marlins. Jose Fernandez was on his game, the offense knew how to hit and score runs, and the stars aligned to allow the Marlins to clinch their second series win since winning the three-game set against the Mets a month ago.

May 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span (2) celebrates with left fielder Roger Bernadina (33) after a win against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Two months are done in the season and the National League East does not look as strong as most experts predicted it would be before the season. The Atlanta Braves (+49) are the only team in the division with a positive run differential. The rest of the teams, Washington Nationals (-22), Philadelphia Phillies (-50), New York Mets (-37), and the Miami Marlins (-86) all have significantly negative run differentials.

Atlanta Braves

Jordan Schafer Making The Most Of His Second Chance | Tomahawk Take

Four years ago many were ready to tag Jordan Schafer as the center fielder of the future for the Atlanta Braves. Now at the age of 26, with a stint in Houston under his belt, Schafer finally appears ready for that prominent role.

Should The Braves Be Concerned About Tim Hudson? | Tomahawk Take

Tim Hudson’s awful May continued when he got hammered in Toronto on Monday. So now the question on a lot of lips is, What’s the matter with Huddy? The answer’s nothing really. You don’t agree I know so let me expand.

B.J. Upton could be demoted | ESPN

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez says he has considered asking center fielder B.J. Upton to work out his struggles in a minor league assignment.

Washington Nationals

Anthony Rendon Promoted To AAA | District on Deck

Nationals top prospect 3B Anthony Rendon has been promoted to AAA Syracuse from AA Harrisburg, according to Geoff Morrow.

Strasburg Leaves Start Against Atlanta After Two Innings | District on Deck

After the second inning of today’s game in Atlanta, Stephen Strasburg left the game with some sort of injury. He did not seem to be in pain, and no injury was obvious. He was shown on TV in the dugout, protesting his removal to Davey Johnson.

Kip Wells An Option For The Nationals? | All Over the Hill

The Angels released veteran pitcher Kip Wells this afternoon, making the 36-year old a free agent. Wells had struggled to a 10.36 ERA with an 8.1 BB/9 ratio in 24.1 innings at AAA Salt Lake this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Take Rare Step In Right Direction, Release Chad Durbin | That Balls Outta Here

Chad Durbin, an all-around nice guy with a great smile, has been released by the Phillies for being awful.

The Phillies reliever has had a miserable 2013, among other miserable 2013s in the bullpen, and will no longer be called upon to try and not make a six-run lead a nine-run lead. The Phillies announced the release of their recently re-signed on the cheap 2008 alum this afternoon, to the delight of a city brimming with enthusiasm for the start of Philly Beer Week.

The Dangers Of Both Selling And Not Selling | That Balls Outta Here

We are 54 games into the 162-game marathon that is the baseball regular season, and after 54 games, there is still no clear idea on where this team is going.

Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Adam Morgan has small tear in rotator cuff | Lehigh Valley

The Philadelphia Phillies announced late tonight that an MRI revealed a small tear in Adam Morgan’s left rotator cuff.

The plan, according to the organization is for the left-hander to either have a Platelet Rich Plasma or cortisone injection sometime next week.

New York Mets

Baseball: It Will Keep You Humble | Rising Apple

The Mets went from the ultimate high of sweeping the Subway Series to the disappointment of giving the Miami Marlins just their fourteenth win of the season. The Mets have not had many highs this season, or even for the past few seasons, but the struggle will only make future successes sweeter.

Don’t Forget About Travis D’Arnaud | Rising Apple

Before he was acquired by the Mets as part of the R.A. Dickey trade, it was reported all over the place that the Blue Jays wouldn’t part with Travis d’Arnaud in any deal for the Cy Young award winning knuckleballer. When d’Arnaud showed up in Port St. Lucie this spring, he impressed everyone, tearing the cover off the ball at times and playing solid defense behind the dish. He was then sent to AAA Las Vegas to start the year, with the expectation that he would join the big league club sooner rather than later.

Lucas Duda Helping Revive New York Mets’ Offense | Yahoo!

The New York Mets have won five straight games, including a surprising four-game sweep of the New York Yankees in this year’s Subway Series. The pitching has been incredible, but Terry Collins has seen his offense start to come back to life. Lucas Duda being more aggressive at the plate is a major reason why.

May 31, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jacob Turner (33) throws during the second inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Before getting into the meat of this article I want to explain something that is often misunderstood about what people call “sabermetrics” or what may be called comparative statistical analysis and especially wins above replacement. What WAR simply seeks to measure is how much better player X is than non-descript AAA replacement player that maybe called up at anytime. The sabermetric community has calculated that a team that’s at 0.0 WAR that is to say replacement level, if the Marlins just called up all of the Zephyrs they would have a .290 win percentage and would win 47 games. What the Marlins must do through the month of June and beyond is to move away from replacement level and become a full fledged Major League team. Which leads us into our present discussion.

If Alex Sanabia‘s injury means that his place will be taken by Jacob Turner, that is a positive move away from replacement level and towards building a legitimate Major League roster. Turner isn’t perfect and he has much to work on to be a reliable middle of the rotation or better pitcher but he sure is better than Alex Sanabia even at his best. Tonight’s game showed us that and I want to delve into what made Turner so successful against the Mets. I read an article on Fangraphs that analyzed how Turner has lost his fastball and is no longer a strike out pitcher or a power pitcher that can rely on “stuff” alone to get outs. What tonight’s start seems to prove disregard small sample sizes and the fact that the Mets are not great offensively is to show that he has learned to pitch instead of only throwing. Compare the two charts below

It shows the outcomes and the pitches that Turner threw. It is possible to compile the two in one graph but I’m still learning how to do that. What is important to take away is that although he only got 3 Ks in the entire game he was still very effective working inside the strike zone throwing his four-seam, two-seam and cutting fastball for strikes as well as the occasional curveball. It is hard to draw too many conclusions from such a small sample size but I will venture some educated guesses about how Turner’s approach changed from the middle of last summer when he was pronounced dead as a power pitcher and he has returned as a finesse guy that can still hit 94 and 95 mph.

First, Turner was able to throw his fastball for strikes as the graph shows. According to the BrooksBaseball breakdown he threw 27 four seamers for 20 strikes. Which means that he was able to establish the strike zone and get ahead in the count. Turner may not be a power pitcher in the mold of a young Josh Johnson or the current Jose Fernandez but he still needs his fastball in order to be successful. By throwing the fastball early in the count for strikes it allows the catcher and pitcher to work hitters differently and use the other pitches in his repertoire more effectively.

Second, it important to note how Turner was able to throw his secondary pitches for strikes down in the zone. The cutter and the curveball. Cutter dependent pitchers must operate a lot like sinker/splitter guys. Location and command within the strike zone is obviously key and can’t be underestimated but it is the thought process of hitters that is key. By throwing any 3 pitches for strikes in any count puts the the hitter out of balance and he can’t anticipate what will be coming next. What makes this work is the idea of changing eye levels. One of the three types of deception along with changing bat speed and location inside/outside. Turner was deceptive tonight because he was able to make hitters expect curveballs and cutters low and finishing them off with high fastballs or vice versa.

Finally, I remember last year Turner big problem is that he wasn’t able to get outs with his fastball alone and that he was not deceiving anyone. It seems that this start shows that he worked on a new approach that is reminiscent of what post-injury Josh Johnson became. A pitcher that works off of the fastball but doesn’t depend on throwing it by hitters to get outs – that is to say – pitching to contact. It is hard to hit high fastballs when you’re expecting a cutter or to hit a cutter when expecting a high fastball. As the chart below shows Turner’s only three strikeouts were on waste pitches well outside of the strike zone.

Hopefully this start is sign that Turner has turned a corner (no pun intended) and that he will be a consistent pitcher for the Marlins as the season continues. Even though he is no longer the power pitcher that everyone thought he was.

May 16, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) walks to the plate for his at bat during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The National League East has always been one of the more competitive division in all of baseball. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have been perennial contenders over the past few seasons. The Washington Nationals are the new kids on the block with a roster heavy in talent. Finally, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins flip-flop between last place from season-to-season, though the Marlins have held that distinction for the past year and a half.

Let’s take a moment today to get caught up with all of the latest news from our NL East foes:

Atlanta Braves

Can BJ Upton Turn Things Around? | Tomahawk Take

I’ve been as critical as anyone of BJ Upton, and critical of the Braves organization for going after him at such a high price tag, when his career numbers don’t suggest to me that he was worth what he’s being paid.  We all know the downside, and the negatives.  BJ has a career BA of just .251, and the last time that he hit for that average was 2008 when he hit for a .273 average.

Braves’ Venters Undergoes 2nd Tommy John Surgery | CBS Atlanta

Atlanta Braves reliever Jonny Venters has undergone the second major elbow operation of his career and will miss the rest of the season.

Jason Heyward goes 2-for-4 in return | ESPN

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward was activated from the disabled list and started against the Dodgers on Friday night, giving manager Fredi Gonzalez his full projected lineup for the first time this season.

Washington Nationals

Bryce Harper sustained an injury crashing into the wall in Dodger Stadium on Monday evening. Here is a video of the injury. (skip to the 21 second mark to see the injury)

Bryce Harper Avoids Concussion, DL After Scary Collision With Wall | District on Deck

During yesterday’s 6-2 win in LA, Bryce Harper crashed into the right field wall chasing after what would become a triple by A.J. Ellis. He was briefly motionless on the ground, but stood up under his own power shortly thereafter. However, he was bloody, especially around his neck, when he stood up. He left the game, replaced by Roger Bernadina. Now, the Nationals’ official Twitter reports that Harper has received eleven stitches..

Inside The Numbers: Bryce Harper’s (Near) Perfect Season | All Over the Hill

Bryce Harper lead the Washington Nationals to a commanding 8-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds tonight, smashing a towering 434-foot homerun en route to a 2 for 3 night with a walk. Just a typical night for the slugger. After setting the bar high with two multi-homer games and an astounding 11 multi-hit performances in just twice that number of games, Harper has made it difficult for himself to excite fans with stellar nights anymore; they just expect it. But in a season where the Nats, predicted by many to win the World Series, have already been labeled choke-artists after an 11-11 start, what Harper is truly doing is being overlooked.

Philadelphia Phillies

Top 5 Worst Philadelphia Phillies Free-Agent Signings | Yahoo!

The Philadelphia Phillies have had mixed results with free agency since it all started in 1976. First baseman Richie Hebner was their first significant signing in December of that year. Pete Rose was their best in December 1978.

Jimmy Rollins Acknowledges Cruel, Finite Nature Of Time | That Balls Outta Here

Todd Zolecki really dug into Jimmy Rollins’ memories and nostalgia today, and offered a dystopian view of the future.

Phillies Team Doctor Chooses Words On Roy Halladay Very, Very Carefully | That Balls Outta Here

Roy Halladay’s surgery is over, and the incredibly intense recovery process is underway.

That leaves things up to Phillies head trainer Dr. Michael Ciccotti, who has the unenviable task of relaying information to a ravenous public over the course of the next few weeks.

New York Mets

The Importance Of Jonathon Niese And Shaun Marcum | Rising Apple

Allow me to preface this with the following: regardless of how well both Jonathon Niese and Shaun Marcum perform for the remainder of the season, I don’t expect the Mets to completely erase the damage they’ve done to their record and have a miraculous run.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but it appears this team simply has too many holes to seriously compete.

It’s Time For Ike Davis To Go To Vegas | Rising Apple

Ike Davis came into tonight’s game with a .169 batting average.  Including tonight’s game he has struck out in all but three games in May.  It has gotten to the point where I am happy to see him make contact, even if it is a soft groundout to the second baseman, as it often is.  Davis went through a similar slump to start last season and worked out of it in the Major Leagues.  This year the Mets cannot wait for that to happen.

Ike Davis demotion talk intensifying | ESPN

Although Ike Davis snapped an 0-for-24 skid Friday in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Cubs, the internal discussion about potentially demoting the first baseman has only intensified, ESPNNewYork.com has learned.