Marlins hit their way to second win in a row

The Miami Marlins pound out 11 hits against Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals to win their second game in a row on Saturday night.

The Miami Marlins are the hottest team in the National League East.

No, that’s not a misprint. After an 11-hit performance against the Washington Nationals and pitcher Max Scherzer, the Marlins have a two-game winning streak, the best in their division. Yes, I am grasping at straws here, trying to put a spin on the team’s record. I figure at this point, with only six wins on the season and 15 losses, focusing on the positive of the Marlins bats coming alive makes this Easter Sunday even better.

Per MLB.com, “Curtis Granderson belted a home run and Brian Anderson chipped in with two doubles and an RBI, and with production up-and-down the lineup, the Marlins grinded out a 9-3 victory against the Nationals.”

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Yes, nine runs after the team had scored 51 all season long in their previous 20 games. Sometimes, a shakeup of the coaching staff is needed to give players and the organization a different perspective. That might have been the case as the team won their second game in a row on the night following the announcement the Marlins had moved on from hitting coach Mike Pagliarulo.

Saturday night was an offensive revival that was much-needed for all 25 players in the clubhouse and manager Don Mattingly. Beating one of the best pitchers in baseball in Scherzer was extra sweet in the victory.

The win gives the ballclub its first series win of the season and could open the door for a more concentrated effort on the diamond, The Marlins got to Scherzer for seven runs, with six earned, on 11 hits.

“With the stuff that he has, you can’t just let him continue to keep pounding the zone and throwing strikes,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to kind of take it to him a little bit, and show him you are there to put the ball in play and drive the ball. We did a great job as a team in doing that.”

The team now goes into Sunday’s game with Trevor Richards on the bump and will face Stephen Strasburg at 1 PM at Marlins Park before they begin a three-game series in Cleveland starting Tuesday.

As part of the strategy by new hitting coach Jeff Livesey, Miami compensated for the lack of power in their lineup, moving base runners around, getting to Scherzer early in the contest. Second baseman Starlin Castro, who got in on the hit parade last night, knew the team needed to score when the team had opportunities, something the lineup has not been able to do much this early season.

“We were aggressive, because we’re not going to hit a homer all the time,” Castro said. “We’re trying to get on base, and keep the line moving.”

As a side note, this was the first game of the season where Anderson played in right field. Martin Prado got the nod at third base. The plan, according to Mattingly, is to use Anderson in both the outfield and at the hot corner the remainder of the season.