Marlins Beat Angels 5-2, Improve to 33-41

        The skid is over. The Florida Marlins won 5-2 on a nice night at Sun Life Stadium. Javier Vasquez through 6 1/3 innings, and got the W in the Marlins second win of the month.

         The Marlins offense came from a solo homer by Gaby Sanchez in the first inning, an Omar Infante sac fly and rbi single, an RBI double and single for Mike Stanton. Stanton went 3-4 with 2 RBI's, a few days after being diagnosed with a right eye infection.

          For the Angels, they got both runs in the 9th off of newly called up pitcher Jose Ceda. Ceda was acquired from the Cubs in exchange for former Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. Ervin santana got the loss for the Angels, who did not have his best stuff. The Marlins cannot get Torii Hunter out, as yesterday he went 3-4 and is now 4-8 in the series against the Marlins.

          With Brad Hand being sent down to Jupiter, the Marlins will start RHP Brian Sanches for the second time this year. He pitched very well in the Marlins "bullpen" win in Los Angeles on May 30th. He will face Angels veteran starter Joel Pineiro on Wednesday night.
          
          A good day for Marlins fans as they get off the schnide and get back into the win column. Maybe Jack McKeon is the spark the Marlins needed, and the fun continues tonight at 7:10 at sun Life Stadium with Sanches v Pineiro.

Edwin out, Ol' Jack in

Rodriguez gone as Marlins skid continues

           After Saturday's loss against the Rays, the Marlins losing streak fell to 9. So did Edwin Rodriguez hopes of staying the manager. He let GM Larry Beinfest know of his resignation Sunday morning. It was respectfully accepted, and Brandon Hyde was named interim manager for the day.

           Edwin went 78-86 in his time as Marlins manager, which lasted about a year, as he was named interim manager after the Marlins fired Freddi Gonzalez after a .500 start through June. Edwin led the team to 30-20 through the first 50 games this year, and was respected by the players. He was looking set for an extension, all until this abysmal stretch the Fish have  found themselves on. In June, under Rodriguez, the Marlins were 1-17.

           After this news the Marlins needed a new interim manager, and who better than ol' Jack Mckeon? The Marlins were struggling in '03, and McKeon was named manager, and we all know what happened that year. Now, in a just as talented team full of young talent, McKeon, at the young age of 80 will try to do it again.

          This team is much better than their reecord displays. They started 30-20, and if McKeon can bring a spark to this team, and get the players attention, which he will using his experience and just the fact he is who he is, this team has a chance. McKeon is a no nonsense, old-school manager. He is not too into matchups, moreso who is playing well and ready. He showed this by benching Hanley Ramirez in his first night as skipper for arriving late to the clubhouse.

         The Marlins need a spark, and McKeon could very well be that. Today is the first day of Summer, so as McKeon said, "This team is a Summer team, not a Spring team", som fresh words for Marlins fans dying for a change and spark to get this team into playoff contention. We'll miss you Edwin, but Jack is, well, back. And hopefully the Marlins are too.

Coghlan on DL after short stint in minors

        In the midst of an 11 game losing streak and a slide in which the Fish have lost 18 of 19, some changs have been made in the recent weeks. Chris Coghlan was optioned to NOLA, and Dewayne Wise was brought up to play CF. Coghlan was then placed on the 15 day DL as of June 17th, disregarding his option. Coghlan is still in the Marlins' future plans  in my opinion, no doubt, but he is just not seeing the ball right now, and needed some work in the minors.      
       Coghlan's problems begin in his stats agains LHP. In his '09 rookie of the year season, he hit above .330 against southpaws. This year however, he is hitting below .200. His total OBP thi year is not even at .300, which is very low and not acceptable for a leadoff hitter. coghlan is a main reason the Marlins offense has been struggling. It all starts with the #1 hitter. One thing I have to give Coghlan credit for is his glove. everyone was more worried about his glove than his bat this year as he was adjusting to CF. Coghlan is a natural inflielder, who played 2B at Ole Miss. Coghlan will be back, and starting in CF next year for the Fish on opening day, book it. Keep your head up Chris.

       

Marlins lose 1st game of doubleheader in Philly; Some news

      Didn't do a full preview for today's doubleheader, I'll just be doing some wrapups. Elih Villanueva had a terrible start, giving up 8 runs in 3 innings. It again started with him walking the pitcher, that always kills Marlins pitchers. Our only run in the 8-1 loss was again on a 1st inning run, a Logan Morrison homerun. The Marlins fall to 32-35, and have now lost 5 in a row.
     
     Some moves were made after the ball game as INF Jose Lopez was recalled from AAA New Orleans, and Villanueva was sent down to AAA. I've heard from sources that Jose Lopez will be in tonight's starting lineup, playing 3B. Who knows, maybe a fresh bat that will bring some life to this team. Can't hurt.

Key stat: Jose Lopez is 7-21 with 1 HR career vs Halladay. Who knows, maybe a spark?

      One thing I find highly annoying is that the Marlins called up a minor leaguer in Elih Villanueva that had no business being here .He was only 5-4 in the minors and had been struggling. All this, basically sacrificing a game, to save a day's rest for Javier Vasquez, who is indeed a professional athlete. Especially against the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park, just a bad move in my opinion.
     
    Another tidbit, as you guys know by know is that Josh Johnson has been placed on the 60-day DL, as retro to May 15th. The Marlins expect him back right after the all-star break, maybe in that series at Wrigley Field. Ozzie Martinez was also sent back down to New Orleans. He has no business being in the MLB right now, and needs some AB's playing everyday, which he can get at AAA. Good move.
    
    Tonight's matchup, 2 men with no-hitters. Should be a good one. Anibal requested to against Halladay, I love that.

Go Fish!

Florida Marlins (32-34) @ Philadelphia Phillies (41-26) 6/14/11 Summary

Phillies homer their way past Marlins 9-1:

They say never look Cole Hamels in the eye, well the Marlins did tonight.

Notes and thoughts: 

• The Marlins got crushed tonight, losing 9-1 on a rainy night at Citizens Bank Park.
• Dom Brown, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard all homered. Brown homered twice, in fact. 
• Chris Volstad's woes against the Phillies continue. He couldn't even get through 6 IP and gave up 8 runs, all earned.
• Ryan Howard has 7 homers against Volstad in 24 AB's. That is crazy. 
• The Marlins had a good first inning, collecting 2 of their 6 total hits, and their only run of the game.
• Chris Volstad should not be in this rotation going into the future in my opinion. He just can never get it done out there. He has his moments where he pounds a hitter with his two-seamer, but he always seems to fall behind or have that one bad inning, and cost his team a chance at winning. A starter in the MLN doesn't do good everytime, but he does bad more often than not.

Key Plays:
Ryan Howard homered to left in the 1st
Chase Utley homered in the 3rd
Domonic Brown homered in the 4th
Jimmy Rollins homered in the 6th
Domonic Brown homered in the 7th
Sensing a trend? Yeah.
I don't even want to give you a link to those, so if you enjoy seeing Phillies bombs off Volstad, you can look them up. They might still be traveling?

Wrapup:
Overall a depressing game for the still skidding Florida Marlins. They fall to 32-34, the first time all season they have been 2 games under .500. A double header comes tomorrow, and some pitcher named Halladay pitches the nightcap. Ever heard of him? Pretty good. Anibal Sanchez requested Edwin to have him start against Halladay, he wants that task, which I thought was pretty nice. Preview coming tomorrow, as the Marlins lose again. Death, taxes, and a Marlins loss? Who cares, a Marlin fan at 162-0 and a Marlin fan at 0-162. Go Fish!

Stanton for Guillen?

Well, the Marlins-Phillies game has been delayed for a little while. So as I sit here waiting for the game to start, I hae to bring something up. Although Marlins sources deny it, I have heard some sources say that a Mike Stanton-Ozzie Guillen swap was discussed in the offseason? When I first heard the rumor, it was Logan Morrison for Guillen, but the more reliable one was the trade with Stanton. I wouldn't doubt it with Loria's love for the star manager, and he was a former Marlins 3rd base coach on the '03 team, but again, just a rumor. Marlins fans, can you imagine?

 FOR

Now, I hope its not true. Just pointing it out.

Also, check out http://www.marlinsdaily.com/.
A new Marlins blog by Dave Gershman. Good stuff.
Go Fish!

Florida Marlins (32-33) @ Philadelphia Phillies (40-26) 6/14/11 Preview

A classy Cole Hamels (8-2, 2.58 ERA)

 
VS

                                                                    

Chris Volstad (2-6, 5.51 ERA)


Marlins Lineup:
Florida Marlins:
1. Hanley Ramirez SS
2. Emilio Bonifacio CF
3. Logan Morrison LF
4. Gaby Sanchez 1B
5. Mike Stanton RF
6. John Buck C
7. Omar Infante 2B
8. Wes Helms 3B
9. Chris Volstad P

Pre-game notes and thoughts:

• Best Phillies pitcher this year? Go. Nope, his name is not Roy, his name is Cole. The arrival of Roy Halladay has greatly influenced Hamels career. Don't forget he was the World Series MVP at one point in time.
• While Hamels hasn't fared too well against the Fish, the pitching matchup favors the Phillies by a wide margin.
• Chris Coghlan has a .412 batting average in 17 AB's (7-17) against Hamels, yet is still benched. A very interesting move by Edwin, making a statement that Coghlan needs to get it together.
• Expect some homers in this series, as Citizens Bank Park is hardly friendly to pitchers. A Stanton bomb would be nice. But morose, a Marlins win, multiple of them, they need them.

Keys to the Game:

• For the Marlins: Volstad needs to avoid the big inning. In a ballpark like this, and an offense like the Phillies have, big innings can happen. Volstad always runs into an inning where he struggles. Marlins hitters need to get men on base against Hamels and start a rally of their own. They will need the big hit and occasional long ball to have a chance in this game and series.
• For the Phillies: Play the baseball that they have played all year. An Utley diving catch, a Howard bomb, a Halladay complete game. They are elite. If they keep the game close, or take an early lead, they will be ready to pounce on a tired Marlins bullpen if they get to it. If they get to the bullpen early, they will win this game.

Beautiful Citizens Bank Park is the setting for the biggest Marlins series of the year this far. Go Fish.