May 5, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley (7) prior to his at bat during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins are winners of five of their previous eight games. The Marlins are aiming for their second three game winning streak of the season, as they roll into San Diego to take on the Padres. The team has started hitting of late and hope to keep their bats hot as they hit the spacious Petco Park.

The Padres, like the Marlins, have not gotten off to the best of starts. They like the Marlins have suffered through injuries to key players. Chase Headley missed the beginning of the season with a thumb injury and former Marlin Cameron Maybin is still out with a wrist injury.

To preview the series between the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres I had a Facebook chat with Kevin Charity. Kevin runs an interesting site, Kevin Says, where he covers not only the Padres, but other hot topics on his mind as well. Kevin is a huge Padres fan and used to write for the Padres Fansided site, Chicken Friars.

Kevin and I chatted about everything from the possibility of a Chase Headley extension to the disappointment from the Padres starting rotation early on this season.

Without any further ado, here is my chat with Kevin:

Ehsan Kassim: What is the latest on the contract negotiations for Chase Headley?

Kevin Charity: There is no news. A report came out in the media that Padres owner Ron Fowler wanted to lock Headley up long term. Almost immediately, Headley shot it down, saying he preferred not to discuss a deal during the season. Personally, I feel Headley will end up being moved, perhaps as early as this year’s trade deadline.

Ehsan: How much longer is Cameron Maybin out? What do you expect from him upon his return?

Kevin: Maybin hurt his wrist and there is not a current timetable for his return. He had a splint removed, so it might be another 2-4 weeks. Denorfia has been amazing, so the Padres really haven’t missed him.

Ehsan: What has been the biggest disappointment for the Padres this season?

Kevin: The Padres rotation as a whole. None of the guys have really stood out. Clayton Richard has been especially horrendous, pitching to an ERA approaching nine. Last year, he was a solid innings-eater, a good value. He is on the DL now with an intestinal issue, so hopefully that was the reason for his awful for his performance.

Ehsan: Can you give us a quick scouting report on the pitchers the Marlins will face this series?

Kevin:Cashner goes on Monday, throws high 90′s with a slider. He looked good in the rotation last year, before all of the injuries. He was shaky in his last start, as he walked 4 in just 4 innings.

Tuesday, Eric Stults goes. He reminds me a lot of Jamie Moyer. Gutty pitcher who only throws in the 80′s and has a big, slow curve. That thing will check in as low as 62mph. His ERA ain’t pretty, but he gives them a chance to win.

Wednesday: Jason Marquis pitches. A lot like Stults. He is a bulldog, but has average stuff. He usually scrapes. If he limits the walks, he usually pitches well.

Ehsan: Make a bold prediction for the series. Which Padres hitter is poised to break out? Which pitcher?

Kevin: Bold prediction: Look out for Padres 2B Jedd Gyorko. He smoked a tape-measure shot on Sunday and has really looked good at the plate lately. I see him winning ROY. As for pitchers, Monday’s starter Andrew Cashner throws hard, but has control issues. He easily has the best stuff of any pitcher the Padres have in the rotation.

A big thank you to Kevin for taking his timeout to talk to us. We at Marlin Maniac wish all Padres fans the best of luck in the upcoming series.

July 29, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder

Baseball was more pleasant in Miami by the conclusion of the weekend.  After dropping the series opener during a brutal 5-run sixth inning by the Padres, it looked like more of the same.  However, an outstanding debut by new Marlin Nathan Eovaldi brought a welcome victory to Marlins Park on Saturday. Pitching 5 1/3 innings, he struck out five and gave up only one earned run.  Home runs by Jose Reyes and Justin Ruggiano helped the Marlins break through the three-run barrier that had been in place for the last nine games.

Yesterday’s game was also a win, cementing the series with a 10-inning nail biter. Josh Johnson had an uncharacteristic six-walk outing, and Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to sixteen games. Two base hits each from Reyes, Ruggiano, and Emilio Bonifacio, combined with a clutch two-run triple from recent callback Donnie Murphy showed fans a good glimpse of what the Marlins’ offense is capable of.

After last night’s game, the Marlins hopped a short flight to Atlanta for a four-game series against the 57-44 Braves.  After this weekend, the marlins moved to 14 game out of first place and 2 ½ games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Phillies.

The Atlanta series starts a tough three-series road trip that includes stops in Washington, DC and Flushing, NY. They return home August 10^th to face the Dodgers and Phillies.

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.

The Marlins are coming off of an impressive 8-1 road trip, where they swept the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. The Marlins took two out of three games in their most recent series, against the Houston Astros.

Giancarlo Stanton returned to form for the Miami Marlins on their recent road trip. The team hopes he can carry that to teams 5-game home stand.. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

The New York Mets on the other hand have kept their hot start alive. The Mets were able to complete a three game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies and are now a season high five games above the .500 mark. David Wright has returned to David Wright status.

New York Mets (18-13) @ Miami Marlins (16-15), May 11, Game 32

NL East Standings

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

(more…)

Who’s Hot

• Steve Cishek-  I know Ehsan would be upset if he was not first on my list! But seriously, this kid has been unbelievable to start the season. Through 13 games this season, Cishek has an eye popping 0.63 ERA with a 4-0 record and 15 strikeouts. He is the number one arm out of the pen Ozzie will call when the game is on the line. Cishek has bailed us out on a number of opportunities and has made it look very professional. Cishek has shown he has the talent to last 3-4 innings and be effective but has also shown the tangibles needed in a closer. Though I believe Cishek has future closer written all over him, I think Ozzie is content with his role right now in pitching in close games when the Marlins need him the most. With a funky delivery, good velocity, and some nice breaking pitches, there is A LOT to like when it comes to Steve Cishek.

Steve Cishek is congratulated by

 

• Omar Infante- Omar Infante remains to be the Marlins best hitter this season as he is always finding holes to get on base. While his power has seemed to die down, Infante has notched 16 extra base hits, a mark that leads the club and is near the top in the NL. Currently hitting .326, Infante looks very comfortable in the #5 hole and seems to be getting a healthy amount of fastballs to drive. It will be interesting to watch Infante’s progress as the year goes on and see if he remains to be a #5 hole hitter. Regardless, Infante has been the man offensively and is starting to capture the attention of the surrounding league around him.

• Giancarlo Stanton- Giancarlo Stanton is certainly not “on fire” but he is drastically improving from his slow start. Coming into May, Stanton had just one home run, and that was 2 days before the month ended. 6 games into the new month and Stanton now sits at 5 home runs as he has finally developed his long ball swing. His home runs aren’t looking cheap either, Stanton is absolutely crushing the ball making his round trips “no doubters”.  Not only is Stanton hitting the ball a country mile but he is also coming up with a good amount of base hits. In his last 10 games, Stanton is hitting .314 with 11 base hits, 10 RBIs and 5 walks. Though he is striking out a lot, he has shown better plate vision and seems to be taking pitches that he was swinging at earlier in the year. While his defense has been below average, he came up with a run saving diving leap that saved Nolasco from another run. Keep it up Giancarlo!

Giancarlo Stanton rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

Who’s Not

• Heath Bell- I am really starting to dislike Heath Bell. As of today, Heath Bell has blown 4 out of his 7 opportunities, getting the loss in 3 of his games. Bell is sitting at a 11.42 ERA with just 6 strikeouts compared to 10 walks. While Bell seems to remain optimistic, Ozzie Guillen may be running out of patience. For the time being, the Marlins are going with a “closer by committee” strategy while letting Bell fix whatever has brought him to hell. Though I do believe Bell will eventually figure out his blunders, that 3 year 27 million dollar contract is not looking pretty as of today.

Heath Bell has labored through his time with the Marlins and has been removed as the closer for the time being. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

• Gaby Sanchez- Sanchez has been another major disappointment this season. Coming off an all-star awarding 2011 campaign, Sanchez enters May hitting .209 with just 1 home run and 20 strikeouts. Not only does Gaby strike out a lot, but he also grounds into a healthy amount of double plays. His plate discipline has looked horrible so far and his defense has been nothing to brag about. Gaby has looked pretty good the last couple of games and hopefully that will help him build some type of momentum. Hopefully..

Gaby Sanchez throws some water at himself in hopes of waking up his bat. (Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

There were a few other options that could have easily made this list. John Buck, Hanley Ramirez, and Josh Johnson have all been cold as of late. While they have been off, each have come up with a few clutch situations that have changed the outcome of some games. This cannot be said about Gaby and Bell as of late. Also, sorry for my lack of posting the past few weeks. I just finished school for my sophomore year and have a summer full of Marlin’s baseball ahead! Go Fish