Marlins Goal: Hang Around

Tim Kurkjian told an interesting story on ESPN the other night. In Spring Training, Hanley Ramirez asked him why the national media wasn't paying more attention to the Marlins. When Kurkjian explained the low expectations, Hanley said "will you be there when we're a game out in September?" Kurkjian said: "We'll all be there." (I may have paraphrased some).

Well, it's now the beginning of August and the Marlins are 1.5 games out. Can they hold on for another month? Better yet, can they take the division lead again?

The opportunities are there. The Marlins may have lost last night, but the team has played superbly of late. Taking 2 of 4 in Chicago was quite a feat (look what happened to the Brewers in Milwaukee). They beat the Mets in a series. Both Annibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson looking strong.

September 1st...I say they can be a game within first, if not in first.

More Evidence of "Deadness"

Ken Rosenthal has now joined ESPN in calling the Manny deal "dead." This looks like the presiding viewpoint now.

I'm disappointed, but it's really not a catastrophe. Manny would have been exciting, could have vaulted the Fish into the playoffs, and should have brought 10,000 more fans to the park. The Marlins still come away from the deadline with a host of prospects, a good squad, and a stronger pen.

Gerald Laird could still be acquired as well. With Annibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson back, it's almost as if the team picked up two arms. The team, as is, will contend.

NL East Race is Riveting

With the Phillies playing the Mets (and making tremendous ninth inning comebacks) and the Marlins battling the Braves, the NL East is rocking right now.

The Marlins have held their own. They could have overtaken first place with a win on Monday, but they kept pace with a nice recovery last night. The decision to call up Rick Vanden Hurk? Brilliant! He only gave up 0 hits in 5 innings.

By all accounts, Andrew Miller will be out until the end of July and Annibal Sanchez will be back soon. That means Vanden Hurk will probably make one more start, at most. When Miller gets back, the Marlins will have 6 starters for 5 spots. My hunch is that Chris Volstad gets sent back down, but performance could change that. It would be a shame, considering how well he's pitched.

At 50-45, It's an Excellent First Half

The Marlins go into the All-Star break at 50-45, 1.5 out of first and in third place. It hurts to fall behind the Mets...it hurts a lot, but it's only by a game. With a restored rotation and the team regaining some confidence, this should shape up for a strong three-horse race to the finish (and don't discount the Braves either).

Still, let's be practical. Did anyone expect this? Most Marlins fans would have taken 45-50 and a bag of sour peanuts, let alone 50-45. The Marlins are skeptic-defying contenders, establishing reputations and instilling legitimate fear leaguewide. All in all, the Marlins deserve a nice pat on the back.

Let's look at some facts:

1. The Marlins started the year 30-20. They then endured a 14-23 stretch, before closing at 6-2.

2. As you all know, they lead the league in home runs.

3. This was all accomplished with Josh Willingham out for two months, Josh Johnson making one start, and Sergio Mitre and Annibal Sanchez still on the DL.

4. Hanley Ramirez was locked up for six years.

5. Dan Uggla is now a household name.

6. In what appeared to be a dismal spring battle at 3B, Jorge Cantu has thrived, Dallas McPherson has 30+ HRs in AAA, and Jose Castillo helped drag the Giants to the bottom of the league.

Yes, things have been good.

Marlins Tidbits

Today, I'm going to give you three tidbits, all courtesy of Fish Stripes (and all excellent). Fish Stripes does such a wonderful job covering the Marlins, and we're grateful to read their content every day.

The first piece of news - which is pretty significant - is that Ryan Tucker will remain in the rotation. The casualty? Burke Badenhop. While that's not at all surprising, I do feel for Badenhop. He never really got the opportunity to assert himself. Sure, he had a number of shaky starts, but he also showed that when his sinker was working, he could be an effective back-of-the-rotation guy. I expect he'll be back at some point.

As for Ryan Tucker, I'm very excited. Control is an issue, but he has some potent stuff. My one concern...could the Marlins be bringing him up to soon? Remember what happened to Jason Vargas and Annibal Sanchez? Sometimes you get off to a great start, then fall apart. Let's hope the Marlins aren't mishandling Tucker.

Secondly, there's some actual news on Josh Willingham. Yes, remember that guy who was batting .341 and used to play for the Marlins? It seems he's finally on the way back, but don't expect him to return right away. I'm setting July 1st (secretly June 25th) as an optimistic date...but don't hold your breath.

Lastly, here's a few more reasons to believe in Dan Uggla's awesomeness. As Fish Stripes reports, Uggla is well on pace to break history. He could be the second 2B to hit 40 HRs and 40 doubles in a season. What's Uggla on pace for? 47 HRs and 60 doubles. Wow.

So Who's For Real?

East is east, and west is west,
So which one of our teams is really the best?

As we wake up this Monday morning, the Marlins have the best record in all of major league baseball, at 23-14, and are riding a 7-game winning streak. The Rays have the third best record in the American League, at 21-16, and are riding a 4-game winning streak. Both teams are greatly exceeding any forecaster's wildest predictions, and yet neither team is really taken very seriously for the long haul, especially when it comes to the Marlins.

The point was driven home during my doubles tennis game yesterday morning. In response to my comment about the recent success of our team, my opponent, a diehard Yankee fan from Scarsdale, calmly remarked, "They're playing well for a weak team." Perhaps he should have referred to the payroll, not the quality. A more appropriate comment might have been, "They're playing well for a poor team." Looking at the inflated payroll of both New York teams, it is hard not to cringe. But even that is about to change somewhat with the long term 70-million dollar contract soon to be signed by Hanley Ramirez.

Then, in listening to ESPN radio last night, the discussion revolved around these two Florida over-performing teams, with the consensus being that the Rays were the more likely team to prevail over for the duration of the season, with the Marlins the more likely team to collapse. After all, the Marlins have been winning on scoring runs and power, while the Rays have the stronger pitching with Kazmir back in form and a better team ERA overall.

I predict exactly the opposite. The Marlins pitching will only improve, with Miller and Badenhop showing signs of belonging above triple A, Mitre and Sanchez on the mend, and a strong corps of relievers and closers. The lineup is also likely to strengthen, with Willingham and Jacobs due to return any day now. History favors the Marlins as well, need I say more?

There may be a ray of hope for Tampa Bay, but, at least in the mind of this reporter, the Marlins are the big fish in Florida.

Which South Florida Sports Franchise Will Improve First?

Today, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel found a little optimism within a miserable question: Which weathered franchise in South Florida will improve first? This is his order:

1. Heat
2. Marlins
3. Dolphins
4. Panthers

Before I give my opinion, let me just say that the Panthers were on the cusp of the playoffs, and the Marlins are currently in first place. It's way too early to call the Marlins a success, but for the sake of argument, let's focus on the 2009 season. Here's my order:

1. Heat: I agree with Dave Hyde here. The only thing stopping the Heat from being a playoff team is Dwyane Wade's health. As I've said before on this blog, it's easy to forget just how dominant Wade was when healthy. Throw in Marion/FA and an early draft pick (Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose), and this team is suddenly good again. I also can't imagine the defensive effort being any worse. In a renewed season, the Heat will rediscover their will to play hard on both ends of the floor.

2. Marlins: Again, Dave Hyde and I are on the same page. I was almost tempted to put them first, but I never underestimate Dwyane Wade. Imagine this current lineup, supported by a monster staff of Josh Johnson, Annibal Sanchez, Chris Volstad, Gaby Hernandez, Scott Olsen, and refined versions of Andrew Miller, Ricky Nolasco, and Rick Vanden Hurk. They'll all be back. Oh, and Cameron Maybin just might be starring in center field too. The future is bright for the Marlins.

3. Panthers: This is where Hyde and I disagree. The Panthers showed tremendous promise at the end of the year. David Booth is clearly a star in the making, and there are a number of other young players on the verge of breaking out. If they can retain Olli Jokinen (a player Mr. Hyde conveniently left out), they'll be a playoff team for certain.

4. Dolphins: I just don't see much happening this year, even under strong management. Is John Beck the starting QB? I like the 'Fins chances of pulling off 7 or 8 wins, but this isn't a contending team yet (of course, we really need to see what happens in the Draft first to truly determine this). Now as for the 2009-10 season? That's a whole other story. Also on the Dolphins' side: in no other league do teams complete turnarounds like the NFL.

Now that I've put this all together, I'm feeling quite giddy about our sports teams down here. Things may have hit rock bottom, but they'll be fine and dandy soon enough. I'll leave you with projected records:

2008-09 Heat: 47-35, 5th seed
2009 Marlins: 88-74, contend for Wild Card
2008-09 Panthers: 41-30-11 (93 points) - 7th seed
2008-09 Dolphins: 7-9

The Marlins Have No Pitching

When I say the Marlins have no pitching, I mean it a lot more literally than you would otherwise think. It's not that they don't have good pitchers, but that they're all hurt. Let's take a look.

Josh Johnson - Tommy John surgery, might return in August

Annibal Sanchez - Arm soreness, out until the All-star break, perhaps longer

Sergio Mitre - Forearm strain, out until at least June 1st

Scott Olsen - Arm soreness, probably out until at least the second series

In 2006, the Marlins had the makings of a great young rotation, with Willis-Josh Johnson-Olsen-Nolasco-Sanchez

Now, the only one ready for opening day is Ricky Nolasco, and he hasn't pitched well since he got injured last season.

With all the talk of the Marlins needing to fill Cabrera's hole at 3B, the real question will be the pitching; namely, how the committee of Andrew Miller, Mark Hendrickson, Rick Vanden Hurk, Chris Volstad, Gaby Hernandez, Burke Badenhop, and Daniel Barone plug the holes.