Marlins Set For Second-Half Run
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – As the All-Star Break comes to an end Thursday, the Florida Marlins will look to keep their five-game winning streak alive. But, shortstop Hanley Ramirez is also looking to join a very exclusive club of Marlins players.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Ramirez is just two hits away from 1,000 hits for his career. When he gets to 1,000 career hits, he will be only the third Marlins slugger to get to that number. The other two are Luis Castillo and Jeff Conine.
And while no one will ever confuse Ramirez's ability with that of former NL MVP Albert Pujols; Ramirez is just 4 hits behind Pujols since 2006, the Sun-Sentinel found.
But for the Marlins to crawl out of last place in the NL East, the team will have to get a consistent effort across the board from all players. Ramirez and Emilio Bonafacio have been tearing up opposing pitchers in July after the entire team had a miserable June.
More important for the Fish will be to get the starting rotation to improve both at home and on the road. The lone exception in the starting rotation who has pitched great all year is Anibal Sanchez.
Sanchez is 6-2 on the season with a 3.58 ERA. He's stepped up big-time since Marlins ace Josh Johnson went down with shoulder inflammation. Since his last two starts in May, Sanchez has 65 strikeouts to just 17 walks. He's 3-1 during that stretch in 63.1 innings pitched.
Sanchez has been limited to keep his pitch count down, according to the Marlins. But he's still the best pitcher the Fish have left in the rotation, unless Johnson can come back.
Johnson has been cleared to play by world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama. Yet, Johnson has still not shown much improvement to get back into the starting rotation any time soon. That could change in a hurry, but most pundits point to mid-August to get Johnson back.
Until then, Sanchez and a cadre of young hitters including Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez, Bonifacio, Mike Stanton, and others will have to continue carrying the team on their backs. The Marlins are currently only 2.5 games back of the Nationals in the NL East, and only 3 games back of the Mets.
But, the NL East is dominated by the pitching staff in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies' four aces, and the Atlanta Braves who are just 3 games behind Philly. The distance between Atlanta and the Mets is currently 8 games. Overall, the Marlins are 14 games behind the Phillies.
While not impossible, the Marlins should focus on trying to catch the Braves and then if there's time, take aim at the Phillies. But don't expect any help from management.
The Marlins management has turned its attention to next year already and the opening of the new Miami Marlins stadium. Management wants a few things for that first game: Josh Johnson on the mound, a sell-out crowd, a win, and spend as little as possible to get there.
The Marlins have been embarrassed for years by poor attendance at Sun Life Stadium. It's so bad that upper deck seats are no longer being sold.
The problem for the Marlins is that it doesn't matter how nice the stadium becomes, if you continue to put on an average-at-best product; South Florida's fair-weather fans just won't show up. So management has the task to sign some stars this off-season to help this team.
