Not to Be

At this point in time, we can probably declare the Manny deal dead. There were some interesting iterations between Pittsburgh and Boston, but ultimately a dead just couldn't get done.

In deals that actually got done, but are much less sexy, the Marlins picked up lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes from Seattle. Seattle got minor league pitcher Gaby Hernandez, who was a disaster in Triple-A this year. Gaby is still a decent prospect, so it's a pretty good return for Seattle. Rhodes has been fairly effective this year, with an ERA in the 2's, but in only about 16 innings. He'll be a decent addition to the pen.

Fish are still rumored to be in the market for a catcher, so in the 1.5 hours from now until the deadline, something might get done. Ramon Hernandez seems to be the most likely. Greg Zaun is also likely, but he's not that much of an upgrade. So we'll see what happens. What could have been a blockbuster deadline day will likely be just another snoozefest.

Now back to baseball! After winning a tough 3-game series against the Mets, the Fish welcome the Rockies to town for a 4-game tilt. The Rockies are ridiculously hot right now, so anything can happen. Tonight, Anibal Sanchez, member of the no-hitter club, makes his first start in the Majors since shoulder surgery last year. This is a much-anticipated night and should be a huge boost for the club.

Fish Getting Closer to Manny

While I thought this would never happen, multiple sources are confirming intense talks for the Marlins to acquire Manny Ramirez. Jeremy Hermida seems to be the anchor of the trade, with some other names thrown around. Yesterday, former first round draft pick Jeff Allison was mentioned, and today Mike Stanton's name was thrown out. I have no problem giving up Allison, but that ship has probably sailed. Mike Stanton is probably the most exciting player in our system, and certainly the most athletic. Stanton was being recruited by USC to play football, so that gives you an idea of his physicality. He would be a tough loss, but at this point he's just putting up huge numbers in low A ball. I think Manny is worth it.

Most recently, it has been reported that the talks have turned to three teams, with the Marlins getting Manny, the Pirates getting Hermida, and the BoSox getting Jason Bay.

More updates as they come in.

Marlins Trade Targets

With the trade deadline looming, here's a quick look at some of the players the Marlins have been targeting for acquisition:

Catchers:

-Gerald Laird, TEX: Decent bat, above-average defensively. Having a very good year offensively, but above career averages. Texas has four catchers in-house, so you have to expect them to move at least one. They're rumored to want two good pitching prospects. Several teams inquiring. Odds of happening: 5-1

-Ramon Hernandez, BAL: Had a pretty terrible year at the plate but has gotten hot recently. Big contract that Baltimore would have to eat part of. Not very much chatter about this one, but Baltimore would want a few good arms in return. Odds: 6-1

-Bengie Molina, SF: Average bat, slightly below average defense, decent arm. Slow. Probably a moderate asking price, as Brian Sabean is not the sharpest of GMs. Another big contract though. He'd be a moderate upgrade. Odds: 5-1

-Ryan Doumit, PIT: Very solid hitter, below-average defense. He's young and under team control for a while, so it's very doubtful that Pittsburgh would let him go. They would have to be bowled over by an offer, and the Marlins have made it clear they won't give up much. Odds: 10-1

-Pudge Rodriguez, DET: Trade to Yankees puts this longshot rumor to rest. Contract would have been cost-prohibitive. Odds (before NYY trade): 15-1

-Miguel Olivo, Gregg Zaun, Josh Bard, Paul Lo Duca: No, no, no, and no. Please God no. None are upgrades. Just don't do it. Odds: 20-1

Lefty Relievers:

-Arthur Rhodes, SEA: Fish were rumored to be very close to a deal on Rhodes, but apparently the teams aren't close. Rhodes is an old, old journeyman who's been around since '91, but he's having a decent year. Nice upgrade for later inning use. Definitely the most likely of the deals for a lefty. Odds: 3-1

-Brian Fuentes, COL: Marlins are out of the running for this one. Price just too high. Odds: 25-1

-George Sherrill, BAL: See Fuentes, Brian. Odds: 25-1

-Eddie Guardado, TEX: Could be part of a deal with Texas for Laird. Former closer, having a pretty good season by Texas standards. He'd be a nice setup man. Odds: 5-1

-Jack Taschner, Will Ohman, John Grabow: All would be average pickups. Odds: 6-1

The Longest of Longshots:

-Manny Ramirez, BOS: Marlins were in talks with Boston about moving Jeremy Hermida and pitching prospect Jeff Allison for Manny. It's actually a decent trade for both sides, especially since Boston would pick up most of Manny's salary. He'd be a rental for the rest of the season for sure, but boy would he be a good one. As far as Hermida goes, it's time to fish or cut bait with him, and I'd be ready to move him. He just hasn't shown the potential he was supposed to. Ultimately, there's no way Boston moves Manny this season. His bat and .933 OPS is simply irreplaceable in the middle of that lineup. But it's fun to talk about. Odds: 50-1

Dempster Dazzles Fish with Happy Hands

This is the image Marlin hitters were greeted with when they looked out at the mound today:



Ryan Dempster did his best Napoleon Dynamite impression, waggling his glove in one of the more fanciful windups in the Major Leagues. Apparently, while quite beautiful, this move diminishes his control, as he walked six batters on the day. Nevertheless, he only allowed one run in five innings and was able to pitch out of several jams.

Early on, Marlin hitters continued to struggle, as Uggla extended his hitless streak to his last 19 at-bats. Uggla did take a hit-by-pitch and scored on a Willingham RBI double. Hanley Ramirez went 2-5 on the day with a steal and a run scored on a scorched double by Jorge Can-do. It's definitely good to see Hanley and Cantu staying effective, as they've really carried the offense as of late.

The real star of the day was Josh Johnson, who held a tough Cubs lineup to just two runs in six innings, while striking out eight. Joe Nelson, Renyel Pinto, and Justin Miller came out of the bullpen to hold off the Cubs into the 9th. The game was tied 2-2 at that point, when Jeremy Hermida, every Marlin fan's favorite punchline, hit a pinch-hit solo homer to put the Fish ahead. Kevin Gregg came out in the bottom of the ninth and worked a quick 1-2-3 inning, which is not very typical of Old Gregg.

The four-game series is split 1-1 and the Fish will continue to do their best to wake up the offense.

In Brian Fuentes Sweepstakes news, the Marlins have apparently offered whipping boy Taylor Tankersley, but the Rockies have their sights on Ryan Tucker, recently demoted from the bigs to Double-A, according to Jayson Stark. I still do not think Fuentes is worth it.

The Marlins are Alive and So Am I

After a short hiatus due to an extremely busy stretch, I'm back posting about the Marlins. I'll start here with a look at some post-All-Star thoughts and what we can expect in the weeks ahead.

The return of Josh Johnson and the rising of Chris Volstad has already been a major boost for the team in a number of ways. First, the concept of having a capable rotation from top to bottom does spades for the team's confidence. It gives more flexibility and depth in the bullpen, which is definitely needed by this team. Most importantly, JJ and Vol-stud have both been nails so far, and could really anchor the team for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, about the same time the pitching came back, the bats went away. Hanley and Uggla are both locked in slumps right now, and Willingham hasn't been hitting since he came back from the DL. Can-do Cantu and Toy Cannon Cody Ross have been picking up the slack, but this team will need a balanced lineup if they want to get into the playoffs this year. I look for Hanley and Uggla to get back on track in Wrigley this weekend and send a few balls over the ivy.

The last thing I'll touch on is the trade deadline. About a month ago, the Marlins were looking for a centerfielder, catcher and bullpen help. At this point, the team is happy with Cody Ross in center, as he's become much more consistent at the dish, and the team will stand pat with Matt Treanor and John Baker behind the plate, as there simply aren't any catching upgrades in the trade market.

That leaves us with the bullpen. The front office has been aggressively pursuing Brian Fuentes as a setup man, but about 5 other teams are as well. The asking price is quite steep, usually 2-3 high-level prospects. We may see some of the same that happened with the Johan Santana sweepstakes, with several teams dropping out due to the price, which will lower the cost for another team. There's a good chance the Marlins may end up with Fuentes, as the team has a trade history with Colorado and they usually get their man. There's a lot of pitching depth in the minors, which might get the deal done.

I'm not a huge fan of getting Fuentes if it costs an arm and a leg, and I wouldn't be upset if somebody else made the deal. The Rockies have been asking for guys like Clay Buchholz, Ian Kennedy, and Wade Davis, so the Marlins would be mortgaging the future for 60 games of a lefty setup man. I think we're better off standing pat, especially with Anibal Sanchez only about a week away from being up in the Majors.

One last note: How exciting has the past week been? It's like every night the division lead is on the line! This kind of competition is what you expect to see in September, not July. Good stuff.

Marlins Rotation Just Got 40% Better

Over the weekend, there was one piece of news to take away from an abysmal series against Colorado for the Florida Marlins. Chris Volstad, the Marlins' top pitching prospect, was called up from Double-A Carolina, and righthander Josh Johnson proved he was ready to return to the big leagues after Tommy John surgery.

Volstad and Johnson will take the spots of antichrist Mark Hendrickson and rookie Ryan Tucker in the rotation. While Hendrickson had a fine start to the season, his regression to the mean has hurt the team tremendously, as he has proved incapable of lasting beyond the fourth inning or allowing fewer than 5-6 runs per game.

Tucker has shown a very live fastball, but little else as a starter. The kid will make a fine reliever and could project as the team's future closer, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him head out to the bullpen with Hendrickson. I certainly would have a lot more faith putting in Tucker with the lead than some of the other arms back there in the pen.

Volstad has had an outstanding year in Carolina and was one of six Mudcats named to the Southern League All-Star game. He's certainly an upgrade over Tucker, as he has three quality pitches to Tucker's one. It will be interesting to see Volstad's progression and how difficult his adjustment will be.

Johnson was arguably the team's finest pitcher in 2006, when each of the Marlins' five starters won at least 10 games. Last year, however, he made just four starts before heading down to visit Dr. James Andrews. Johnson is coming off a dominating 8-inning shutout performance for Carolina, in which he also hit a home run. It seems like he is being rushed back a little bit quickly, as he had surgery approximately one year ago, but he has passed all the tests in his rehab and has made several 100+ pitch outings. He's proven before he can get out Major League hitters and he may even have more velocity coming off the Tommy John.

All in all, the addition of these two pitchers (and more importantly, the removal of Hendrickson from the rotation), will be a tremendous boost to a club that has struggled to build momentum, particularly due to inconsistent starting pitching. A rotation of Ricky Nolasco, Andrew Miller, Scott Olsen, Johnson, and Volstad gives this team a very good chance to get things rolling.

Fish Take a Long Walk-Off Snakes', Nats' Piers

In the words of John Rambo in First Blood Pt. II, Philly, we're coming to get YOU.



For the second game in a row, the Marlins won in walk-off fashion off a solid closer.

Sunday afternoon, the Fish beat Arizona's Brandon Lyon with a Hanley Ramirez homer, Jeremy Hermida double, and a Jorge Cantu walk-off single.

Monday night, Hanley hit another deep blast off the Nationals' John Rauch to send the game to extras. After a shaky 10th from Kevin Gregg, Josh Willingham hit the first pitch he saw from Rauch over the scoreboard in left field. Willingham's second homer of the night secured another walk-off victory for the Marlins.

Is it great news that the Marlins needed extra inning theatrics to beat the anemic Nationals? No. But all that clutchiness and tenacity sure is fun to watch.

With the latest win, the Marlins moved within a half game of the Phillies, who had the night off.

Mark Hendrickson takes the hill for the Fish tomorrow night, which most likely means we'll need more ninth inning magic.

Can Things Get Any More Uggla?

Of the severe rash of injuries the Marlins have dealt with all season, this one hurts the most.

MLB home run leader Dan Uggla sprained his ankle last night, after stopping short while legging out a double. X-rays were negative, but the slugging second baseman will miss at least a week in an important stretch for the Fish.

In addition to being the Marlins' best hitter this season, Uggla is the heart of the team and plays a solid second base. With Uggla out of the middle of the batting order, this lineup is severely de-clawed. Considering that situational hitting is not this team's strong suit, removing a huge slugger of Uggla's caliber will likely make this offense anemic.

The rest of the team will need to pick up the slack, including Josh Willingham, who isn't up to full speed after returning last week. Robert Andino will replace Uggla at second, but will most likely be an automatic out at the bottom of the order (a 7-8-9 of Andino, Treanor, and the pitcher's spot is an opposing pitcher's wet dream).

So the bottom line is, we're probably gonna suck for a while until Danny gets back.

Godspeed, Dan Uggla.

Marlins Desperate for Momentum

In my last post, I detailed the Marlins' opportunity to look like contenders on their current homestand. Eager to prove my point, the Fish proceeded to get swept by the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was a pretty painful series to watch, as the Marlins played probably their worst ball all year. All the classic symptoms of this year's team were revealed in the Rays series, including shoddy defense, short and poor outings from starting pitchers, a truly unreliable bullpen, and streaky hitting. In Tuesday's opener, the Fish wasted a great start from Scott Olsen, as the bullpen would piss away the game, walking in two runs with the bases loaded. On Wednesday, rookie Ryan Tucker got bruised and refused like he didn't have Just For Men Gel, getting torched for 7 runs in 4 innings. Reliever Eulogio de la Cruz, called up from Triple-A the day before, allowed 5 runs without recording a single out, clearly an effort to make his ERA jump higher than his age. Then in Thursday's finale, Matt Garza threw a no-hitter through 6 innings, until SS1a Hanley Ramirez hit a home run to center field to break it up. The only problem was that Marky Mark Hendrickson started the game, which usually means that the team will be down between 4-6 runs by the time he leaves the game in the 5th. Disaster. Sweep.

So no big deal, right? Move on. Oh wait, we get to face Brandon Webb and Dan Haren in the next series. That's okay. The Fish swept a red-hot Dbacks team earlier in the year, beating both Webb and Haren in that series. The Marlins won last night's opener against Micah Owings, getting another awesome outing from Ricky "I Don't Chew, I Don't Dip, and I Don't Smoke" Nolasco. Tonight Andrew Miller takes the hill against Webb, with Superpimp Scotty Olsen going tomorrow against Haren. It'd be nice to win this series with Washington coming to town, so the Fish can finish strong before heading out on a long west coast road trip.

Some ideas and ramblings:

- This team will not contend long-term if Hendrickson remains in the rotation. He's a disaster and he has to go. I don't hate him as a long-relief/mop-up guy, that's what he's suited to. He can get a few guys out for two or three innings, but that's all he's got. Chris Volstad, where art thou?

- Nolasco is our bona fide ace. No question about it. Right now, he's the only guy we can consistently expect to last beyond the 6th inning. Olsen is pitching very well right now, and Miller is really starting to come around. If they can get Hendrickson out of there and plug in Volstad, this can be a respectable rotation by the end of July.

- Mike Jacobs sucks. There, I said it. He hits a 1- or 2-run homer every 4 or 5 games, and does nothing in between. Talk about a rally killer. He sucks defensively at first base, which is an accomplishment unto itself. I would love to trade him, but I doubt we'd get much more than a few below-average minor league arms. But it's possible that some team in need of a slugging DH could overlook his disastrous .264 OBP this season. That's right, 11 walks in 236 ABs, with 60 Ks.

- 3B Dallas McPherson has tied a PCL record with 7 straight games with a homer in Triple-A Albuquerque. He has 28 blasts on the season. Calling up D-Mac to play third and moving Cantu over to 1B is sounding pretty good right now...

- How bad is our bullpen right now? There's not one guy back there that I'd be confident giving the ball to with a small lead. A big part of this is overwork. Our pen is 5th in the Majors with 273 innings pitched. When our starters routinely get derailed in the 4th, it's a struggle to finish the game. Hopefully these guys can come back strong after the All-Star break and start shutting people down again.

Also, if you're interested in Marlins posts that are funnier than mine, and the best Photoshops this side of Tokyo, check out Adam Smoot at Bright Orange Seats. Here's a sample of some of his work - please to enjoy in good-natured fun:

Why Do We Hurt the Ones We Love?

I am a jinx to my Florida Marlins. Over the past three years, I have made the journey from Gainesville to Miami to watch my favorite team on 10 occasions. In those 10 games, the Marlins have won just once, a blowout against the Reds last year. Clearly, I am a hex and can never watch my team win in person, yes?

I would test this theory this weekend, as I traveled down to St. Petersburg to watch a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. I went to Friday's game. Loss. Saturday. Loss. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't go to Sunday's series finale, and the Fish win big. It's one of the more bizarre streaks I've ever been apart of.

What does it all mean? I'm not entirely sure, but the Fish couldn't hit an off-speed artist in Andy Sonnanstine, and ran into a stellar start from Matt Garza. The bats finally woke up on Father's Day to hammer Edwin Jackson, who has run very hot and cold for the Rays. The Rays entered the series 24-10 at home, so losing two out of three is to be expected. The Rays and Marlins will meet again next Wednesday to complete the season series at Joe Robbie Stadium (yes, it will always be Joe Robbie to me).

Next up, the Fish head to the west coast and will battle the last-place Seattle Mariners. I don't expect a pushover victory here, as traveling across the country always takes its toll on a team. Pitching matchups will include Andrew Miller v. Carlos Silva, Scott Olsen v. Felix Hernandez, and Ryan Tucker v. someone named R.A. Dickey (that's not a joke). After Seattle, the Marlins will take on the Oakland A's before returning home. It is a road trip that is certain to upset my grandfather, who will be unable to stay up past midnight to watch the week's games.

Something Left in the Tank?

After a constant pounding of devastating losses, with the occasional blowout peppered in, it has been hard to be a Marlins fan in the past two weeks. Saturday's game against Cincinnati shaped up to be more of the same, until a miracle ninth lifted the team.

By all accounts, the Marlins should not have won the game, having three errors and making Cincinnati's first four runs of the game unearned. But the Fish refused to quit and Cody Ross hit a 2-out, 2-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game.

The team's resilient offense has not been a problem all year, as these hitters have proven they can contribute in close and late situations. It's just the awful defense and bullpen inconsistencies that have been the problem. Will this dramatic comeback win be a turning point that wakes the Fish up?

Only time will tell. For Sunday's game three of this four game series, young prospect Ryan Tucker has been called up from Double-A Carolina to start the game. Tucker has spent much of the year with an ERA under 1.00, so this is an anticipated move for Marlins fans. It should be a fun game to watch and see how one of our stars of the future will perform in his Major League debut.

Marlins Draft Recap

Since talking about the Marlins' 3-7 road trip is downright depressing, let's take a look at some of the team's selections in yesterday's First-Year Player Draft.

With the #6 overall pick, the Florida Marlins chose catcher Kyle Skipworth, arguably the best catching prospect in the draft. A 6'3" senior out of Patriot High School in California, Skipworth is a very strong left-handed hitter, with power to all fields. Defensively, he is an average catcher but has a very strong arm. Skipworth becomes the first catcher taken by the Marlins in the first round since Charles Johnson in 1992.

Skipworth has drawn comparisons to both Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer in terms of his potential, which unfortunately may take years to come to fruition. Mauer was taken by the Twins with the first overall pick in 2001, and debuted in 2004, but did not make a big splash in the majors until 2006. We may see a similar timetable with Skipworth, who was the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year. An ETA of 2012-2013 seems reasonable, unless Skip really excels and is able to start with the big club at the new stadium in 2011.

The Marlins missed FSU catcher Buster Posey by just one pick, but it is likely they still would have taken Skipworth, opting for a longer-term approach. Posey also would have demanded a higher bonus, which the team may have been reluctant to pay. Skipworth has a much higher ceiling than Posey, but is still carries the typical risks of drafting a high school player. All in all, this is a good pick for the organization, which has never shied away from high-risk, high-reward decisions in the draft.

Beginning in round 2, the Fish loaded up on pitchers for the rest of the first day. Their second pick, #52 overall, was Brad Hand, a left-handed pitcher out of Chaska High School in Minnesota. Hand was the best draft pick out of the state, and was named Gatorade Minnesota High School Player of the Year. Apparently, the Marlins hired Gatorade for all scouting this year, drafting Gatorade honorees with the first two picks.

Hand stands 6'3", 205 lb., and boasts both pitching and hitting potential. Hand has a good heater that tops out at 93, as well as a sharp curve and change. Overall, Hand is a very athletic pitcher, but will have a long road of development. With some work on his mechanics, Hand could become a solid lefty in the Marlins' system.

With their third pick, #83 overall, the Fish chose Edgar Olmos, another LHP out of Van Nuys, California. Olmos has a sidearm delivery and boasts some solid secondary pitches, but is committed to Arizona. He may end up going to college, but if not, he could be an interesting complement to the many hard-throwers in the Marlins' system.

Rounding out the first day, the Marlins chose three tall right-handed pitchers in Curtis Peterson (#118), Peter Andrelcyzk (#149), and Graham Johnson (#178). All three pitchers are above 6'3" and are projectable with good stuff.

With the first pick on day two, the Marlins chose Paul Gran (#208), a third baseman out of Washington State University. Gran was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year and has some decent pop in his bat. Never hurts to have defense in this organization.

That wraps up the meaningful draft picks for the Marlins this year. Overall, the Fish are going for the home run with Skipworth, who could be the next Joe Mauer (or could never make it out of AA). The team added significant pitching depth to an already deep system, but that has been the strategy in recent years.

Marlins Try to Salvage Road Trip

The Marlins' current tour of the division has not had encouraging results. The Fish have lost consecutive series to the Mets and the Phillies, going 2-4 on the trip thus far and falling out of first place. They head now to Atlanta for a four-game tilt that provides one last chance to reach .500 on the road trip. The Braves have lost three straight, but currently own a 22-7 record at Turner Field, so winning 3 of 4 games will not be easy.

Here are some random thoughts on the Phillies' series:

- Hanley still looks lost at the plate. He isn't seeing the ball well right now, and is still striking out way too much on called third strikes. The Marlins' success will go as he goes.

- The fates never want Jamie Moyer to lose to the Marlins.

- Jacque Jones can't bunt. I'm not sure what he can do, either.

- Cantu can't field. I won't try to rationalize his terribleness anymore. He's a disgrace to the glove.

- The first four of that Phillies lineup: F'n fierce, man.

Now here's a quick preview of the Atlanta series:

Monday: Scott Olsen v. Jo-Jo Reyes. Winnable game here, as Jo-Jo doesn't look quite like he did back in the 90's, topping the charts with K-Ci. If Olsen can go more than 4 IP and limit Chipper to under eight hits, the Fish can get back in the win column.

Tuesday: Burke Badenhop v. Jose Campillo. Badenhop is pretty terrible, so this might be a tough one to win. Campillo has been dominant in three starts thus far, allowing one run in 15 IP, racking up 15 K's. Hopefully the game will still be close by the sixth, when Campillo runs out of steam and we can steal one here.

Wednesday: Mark Hendrickson v. Tom Glavine. Hendrickson's last start was a disaster, allowing 10 runs in 3.2 IP. The tall lefty hasn't gone more than 5 innings since May 2, so who knows what's going to happen here. Glavine has been solid this year, so the Fish will only have a chance if they get to him early. Tough game to win here, but it can be done.

Thursday: Ricky Nolasco v. Jair Jurrjens. Nolasco was dealing against the Phillies in his last start, and his success usually correlates with his curveball. If it's on, he can shut down any team. If not, the bullpen phone will be ringing off the hook. Jurrjens has been less than stellar in his last two starts, but he has had a very strong year thus far for the Braves. This will shape up to be a key game in the series, and if the Fish have anything left in the tank, they can win this one.

So there you have it, a look back and a look ahead at this key divisional road trip. If the Fish can take three games in Atlanta and halve the trip, there may be hope for them yet. If not, it might be time to start getting worried.

Fish Still Swimming

To kick things off, I'd like to start with a general post about the Marlins' early season success and their potential to continue it. The Fish have been in first place for most of May, which has come as a surprise to everyone (us fans included). However, many have raised questions about the team's winning ways, and understandably so. How could the lowest-paid team in baseball keep this up all season?

Well here are the issues. The Marlins' starting rotation has the 26th highest ERA in MLB (5.00), lowest amount of innings pitched (277.1) and next to last in quality starts (18). Obviously, the starting rotation is a weak point for the Marlins, which causes the bullpen to be overworked. While the Fish pen has been outstanding thus far, with the sixth best relief ERA (3.15) and the third best opponent batting average (.225), they are also fourth in innings pitched (188.2), which is bound to catch up with them in the form of fatigue and injuries.

While Mark Hendrickson and, up until recently, Scott Olsen, have been the workhorses of the rotation, Ricky Nolasco, Andrew Miller, and Burke Badenhop have been inconsistent in their ability to go deep into games. Miller really turned things around in May, going 3-2 with a 2.43 ERA and striking out 8.49 batters per nine innings, but the rest of the rotation has really wavered. Badenhop could, and probably should, be out of the rotation, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Doug Waechter (1.35, 7.09 K/9) jump in as the fifth starter for the time being. There is some help on the way, as Anibal Sanchez could return to the team around the All-Star break, but Josh Johnson won't likely pitch in the majors this year. Top prospect Chris Volstad, who stunned in spring training, could get a midseason call-up, as could Ryan Tucker. One thing for certain is that this team will need more stability from its starters in order to contend all year.

As for the offense, the Fish have had little problem scoring runs. They are second in home runs (76) and fourth in extra base hits (181), with the fifth highest team OPS (.779), despite missing significant time from Josh Willingham, one of the better cleanup hitters in the NL. However, the team is second in strikeouts (437), which has led many writers to believe this team will severely slump when the homers stop flying out. I can't say that I agree, as the team has done reasonably well in pressure situations (.259/.371/.473 with RISP and 2 outs). The team has shown the ability to "manufacture runs" [thanks, Joe Morgan] with several successful hit and runs and suicide squeezes this year. This offense has the ability to adapt to different situations, and I can't see why they won't continue mashing, especially once Willingham returns. As for the strikeouts, Arizona is third place in the majors behind Florida, and we haven't heard any warning flags about the Dbacks' offense. Yes, this team will strike out a lot. But they will also hit homers and score runs.

On to the defense. The Fish are tied for second worst in errors (45) and have the lowest fielding percentage (.977). The biggest perpetrators have been 3B Jorge Cantu (11 errors) and SS Hanley Ramirez (8). Cantu is definitely on the field because of his bat and not his glove, but he's not without peers. David Wright, last year's Gold Glove winner, has just two fewer errors (9) at the hot corner, so the dropoff in defense from other 3B is not astronomical. Hanley is an interesting case, because he makes some incredibly athletic plays at short, but occasionally boots routine grounders and airmails throws. He certainly has the athleticism to be a solid defender, but needs more focus to get there. The rest of the team is below-average defensively, with the exception of Alfredo Amezaga, who has been Superman in center field. The Marlins' defense hasn't hurt the team in the win column yet, but it will be an ongoing concern for the rest of the year.

Phew! And I thought that would be a quick post! Overall, this team has the ability to win the NL East. Unfortunately for them, so do the Phillies, Mets and Braves. This division will be incredibly competitive come September, and I fully expect the Marlins to be in the race. They won't remain in first place from here on out, but they will contend for a playoff spot this year, especially once the rotation has been shored up (Thanks, Joe Girardi) and players return from injury. Disagree? I'm sure you do, so feel free to comment.