Jun 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (47) throws during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On Father’s Day, the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-2. What’s notable about the game is that the Marlins are the owners of the worst record in Major League Baseball, and the Cards are the owners of the best record.  The game was played in Miami, and the HVAC system made more noise than the crowd, negating any trace of home-field advantage.  How did it happen?

The Marlins’ DL is slowly emptying back into the dugout, and Ricky Nolasco finally had some run support to provide him with the breathing room he needed to really work the corners. The confidence boost from the Miami runs paid off, as Nolasco only issued one walk during his outing. Double-digit hits and a tough outing by Tyler Lyons helped our cause.

The Marlins are starting to generate offense that is more in line with player potential, and we are looking less and less like helpless cellar-dwellers. We won eight games in April and six in May.  Halfway through June, we’ve already won seven. Stanton is back in the lineup, and outstanding starts from Marcell Ozuna and Ed Lucas have had a positive effect up and down the lineup. Logan Morrison sat out for a few days with a tight back, but he’s also come off the DL well, and is expected back as early as today. Let’s hope the tight back isn’t the next unfortunate injury that casts a long shadow on Morrison’s durability. Still waiting in the wings are Jake Marisnick and Christian Yelich.

Hats off to Ricky Nolasco for his outing yesterday, and a hearty welcome to the future of the Marlins rotation this week in Arizona.  Nathan Eovaldi is healthy again, Jacob Turner has sorted out what he needed to from his dismal spring, and Jose Fernandez is as exciting as any rookie pitcher in the last five years.

The crucible will be tonight’s tilt against the Diamondbacks and the white-hot Patrick Corbin.

The Good:

The Marlins had a convincing win of 7-2, never trailing in the game. The the closest the Cardinals ever came was 2-1 in the 3rd. This win also gave the Marlins the series going 2-1 against the best team in the National League.

Marlins Win!

The Great:

During this game we saw a solid performance from Ricky Nolasco who went 7 innings, only giving up 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, and struck out 4 to earn his 4th win of the season. Ricky’s contribution to the game didn’t stop there, he also got on base twice by walks to help the Marlins’ offense. Juan Pierre started the game off with a single that would turn into a run from a single from Justin Ruggiano, which also scored Giancarlo Stanton. Pierre’s production continued in the 4; with 2 outs Pierre singled to score Placido Polanco and Jeff Mathis to give the Marlins a 4-1 lead. Speaking of Polanco, he double in the 6th with 2 outs to score Ruggiano and Adeiny Hechavarria to give the Marlins a 6-1 lead. Speaking of Hech, he singled in the 7th which scored Derek Dietrich to give the Marlins a 7-1 lead. After all that, with bases load in the 9th and the Marlins leading 7-2, in comes Steve Cishek to strike out Matt Holliday to earn his 9th save of the season!

Giancarlo is up to bat!

Was this the pitching dual I wanted? Not even close! But the Marlins won and that is what’s important. Until next time, enjoy the week and as always… Let’s Go Fish!

Jun 10, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond (left) takes starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (right) out of the game during the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Major League Baseball non-waiver trading deadline is just over a month away and teams are prepping to become either buyers or sellers as the date approaches. Jayson Stark listed the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have been mentioned as two possible teams that could have interest in current Marlins ace Ricky Nolasco.

Nolasco is in the final season of his contract and is in a similar spot as Anibal Sanchez was with the Fish last season, he is unlikely to resign with the team after the season. Nolasco does not have quite the trade market or value Sanchez had, but the Marlins will have no option but to trade Nolasco as they have arms in the minors ready to step into their rotation.

The Marlins will need Ricky to have stronger starts than the one he had on Monday night, as he surrendered four earned runs on ten hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. He struck out five and walked only two hitters, but his command was spotty all game.

Stock Up, Stock Down for Miami Marlins’ Top 10 Prospects for Week of June 3 | Bleacher Report

We’re back…

It’s been four weeks since our last installment, and plenty of changes have occurred since then.

There is a new but familiar face as the No. 1 prospect in the Miami Marlins’ farm system, as well as four new entries in the top 10 after a couple of prospects became eligible for the National League Rookie of the Year.

Desired lineup fails to bolster Miami Marlins’ offense | Miami Herald

Mike Redmond found pleasure — something he hadn’t experienced all season — just in filling out the lineup card on Monday. For the first time as the Marlins’ manager, he was able to spell out S-T-A-N-T-O-N and M-O-R-R-I-S-O-N and think happy thoughts.

Step right up and sweep the Mets! | Marlins Diehards

We apologize for not being more active here (or active at all, or on Twitter for that matter). It’s NBA Finals time, please forgive us.

But while we’ve been hibernating, the Marlins have seemingly employed the following strategy:

The unfortunate DL stint of Chris Coghlan | Fishstripes

Chris Coghlan‘s disabled list stint is unfortunate, as he had been red-hot since early May and ready to assume an infield position. Are there any hidden benefits to be found in his untimely DL stint?

Polanco leaves game with lower back stiffness | Marlins News

Placido Polanco left the Marlins’ game against the Brewers on Monday with lower back stiffness. He is listed as day to day.

Ed Lucas entered the game during the bottom of the sixth to pinch-hit for Polanco, who may have suffered the injury while leaning over Miami’s dugout railing in pursuit of a popup off the bat of Carlos Gomez in the top of the fifth.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

Down On The Farm Miami Marlins Daily Report: June 9th

Down on the Farm Report for the Miami Marlins: June 9th:

Been a few days since I last did this, but have been extremely busy with work and attending the Barons-Suns series. With that all behind me, I am going to make sure to have this up everyday.

What Are The Miami Marlins Going To Look Like When They Are Healthy?

With the impending returns of Logan Morrison, Giancarlo Stanton, Nathan Eovaldi, and Donovan Solano, the Miami Marlins are going to look like a completely different team in the next couple of weeks. The worst team in the majors will no longer look like a minor league team. The Marlins may actually have a chance to become a decent young team.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Miami Marlins Series Preview: Ryan Braun Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

To preview the series between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers, I had an email chat with Benjamin Orr, the editor of the New York Mets Fansided site, Reviewing the Brew. Reviewing the Brew has to be one of the coolest names for a site on the internet and it also does an excellent job of covering everything Brewers related.

Top 5 Marlin Maniac Prospect List Post Draft

Since the MLB Draft, I have received numerous questions to how the Miami Marlins first round pick Colin Moran fits into the teams top prospect rankings.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Monday, June 10th 7:10 PM EST (Game 63)

The Miami Marlins don’t play the New York Mets again until the end of July, but the team is going to have a lot more opportunities to start beating other teams, as they finally get their best player back on Monday.

Apr 28, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) connects for a two run homer in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins don’t play the New York Mets again until the end of July, but the team is going to have a lot more opportunities to start beating other teams, as they finally get their best player back on Monday.

The Marlins activated slugging superstar Giancarlo Stanton off the disabled list on Monday and he will be hitting third. The Marlins hope Stanton can keep their current two-game winning streak alive.

Ricky Nolasco will be on the mound for the Fish, making his 14th start of the season. He pitched 6 2/3 solid inning his last time out, striking out six and walking just two. He was in line for a win before Steve Cishek blew the save in the ninth inning. The Phillies would eventually win the game in 11 innings.

The Brewers will send out Yovani Gallardo to the mound. Gallardo is scuffling in 2013, posting an ugly 5.25 ERA in 73 2/3 innings. Part of the issue has been a lack of whiffs. Gallardo got roughed up his last time out, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk over six innings, striking out just four.

Marlins Lineup

Bold Prediction: Stanton goes deep in his first game back and carries the Marlins to a victory. Marlins win 6-2!

May 18, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Steve Cishek (31) throws during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

According to a report from Joe Frisaro at MLB.com, the Miami Marlins are not considering trading relievers Steve Cishek and Mike Dunn.  However, starter Ricky Nolasco and possibly reliever Ryan Webb are available for the right offer.

Here is a look at how these four pitchers have fared so far this season:

Nolasco has lived up to his preseason billing as the ace of the staff as he has been the Marlins’ best pitcher so far this season.  It comes as no surprise that the Marlins are willing to move him.  As a matter of fact, the poor guy probably never unpacked his bags after arriving at spring training in anticipation of the day when he would finally be dealt.  The Marlins will have to hope he goes on a good run so that they might extract more than a mid level prospect from a team in contention.

Dunn has been the Marlins best reliever, while Cishek has struggled to the point of losing his closers job.  No matter the results so far this season, though, I cannot agree with the Marlins’ plans to hold on to either of them.  Relievers are probably the most volatile position on a baseball team and the easiest to replace.   Very few of them are able to have consistent success for more than a few seasons so it surprises me that a team in the Marlins current situation  would want to hold on to them if they can get something in return.  Both Dunn and Cishek are eligible for arbitration next season so a big raise is likely in their future.

The Marlins more than any team should realize that comparable replacements will be available this offseason.  After all, this is the team that coaxed outstanding seasons from the likes of Leo Nunez, Joe Borowski, and the memorable Antonio Alfonseca.