How the Worst (Miami Marlins) Beat the Best (St. Louis Cardinals)

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.