The Marlins need to do something to shake things up

Following a 9-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, the Miami Marlins once again showed they have little offense to make things happen.

Something has got to give. Following a 9-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Marlins Park the Miami Marlins are searching for answers as to why the offense isn’t producing.

While it’s early in the 2019 season, there may be a reason to panic as hitters aren’t hitting and the pitching staff cannot go out every night and hold the opposition at bay. Manager Don Mattingly and his coaching staff need to shake some things up if this team is going to show the improvements some of us thoughts would happen this coming season.

As Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wrote, “The Marlins have now dropped five straight, and fell to 3-11 on the season, but [Jorge] Alfaro continues to be one of the bright spots in an otherwise slow start. He’s batting .286 with an .885 OPS, while also emerging as a vocal leader.”

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Alfaro scored against his former team on Friday night and continues to show the front office and fans that he could be the steal of the deal that sent J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia this offseason. Other than that lone bright spot, there isn’t much to talk about. There hasn’t been much to talk about, with bats in hibernation and the growing pains of a young rotation.

On Friday, it was announced that Austin Dean’s contract from Triple-A New Orleans was purchased and the team sent Peter O’Brien to the minors. The hope is Dean can provide a spark at the plate and help in right field. And for those of you playing at home, the Marlins have now used three right fielders in the first 14 games of the season.

“O’Brien had gone just three-for-27 in nine games with the Marlins, with 14 strikeouts in 30 plate appearances,” Kevin Kraczkowski of Marlin Maniac wrote. “By contrast, Dean had hit .375 at the triple-A level with New Orleans, going nine-for-24 with five walks and only three strikeouts. In today’s game, Dean was 0-for-2 with the sac fly and a strikeout.”

Alfaro’s continued success has the Marlins hoping other batters will find some way to re-ignite their ability to hit. The catcher is emerging as the team’s leader, which was not by design going into the 2019 season. He told Frisaro he will always be ready to help his pitching staff when they are in need of help during a game or in their preparation for the opposition.

“They’re never going to be alone on their own on the mound,” Alfaro said. “I’m going to be their bodyguard out there. Just try to stay positive for them. That’s all I’m trying to do. I try to let them know the positive things, not the bad things. Just stay positive.”

The Marlins were not helped by Sandy Alcantara’s worst performance of the season on Friday night. The young right-hander gave up six runs on 11 hits in five innings.