It was a hug win for the Florida Marlins as they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies on Wedneday afternoon. The 7-3 victory for the Marlins was the second straight win for the fish against the Phillies and it a great things to see especially on the road. The marlins appear to be acting in the spoiler role right know as they took two out of three games from the Phillies who are in the divisional race as well as the wild card race.

The marlins blew the game wide open with three runs in the top of the ninth inning when Dan Uggla had a two run double and then he was knocked in on a single by Wes Helms. Josh Willingham had a rbi ground rule double in the eighth inning as well. Luis Gonzalez added a two run home run in the game while Ricky Nolasco contributed with an rbi of his own.

Nolasco threw a pretty good game as he pitched 7 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out eight Phillies. Arthur Rhodes and Matt Lindstrom pitched in relief to finish off the phillies.

Great win for the Marlins and now they will be off on Thursday before starting up a weekend series with the Washington Nationals.

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The Florida Marlins had a nice 4-1 victory on Wednesday night over the Atlanta Braves as they held the Braves to only three hits on the night. It was a very good pitching performance by Josh Johnson as he pitched eight innings and then turned things over to who pitched the ninth inning to record the save.

The offense got a single run in the third inning on a Wes Helms rbi and then two more rbi’s in the fifth inning on a Hanley Ramirez single. In the ninth inning, Dan Uggla added a solo home run off Blaine Boyer for the fourth and final run for the Marlins.

Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson was marvelous as he tossed a complete game and only allowed one run to score. That one run came in the fifth inning when Johnson gave up a groundball to shortstop and the Braves scored. Johnson improved to 4-0 on the season with the victory.

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The Florida Marlins once again lost to the visiting St. Lous Cardinals. On Thursday it was a 3-0 loss as Todd Wellemeyer shut down the Marlins offense and limited them to only four hits on the night. You can’t beat a team with only four hits in most cases, and that was the case for the Fish on Thursday night.

Scott Olsen tossed seven innings and gave up ten hits and all three runs to take the loss. Olsen struckout six batters but also gave up one two run home run. Olsen had problems with Ryan Ludwick who knocked in all three Cardinals runs. Logan Kensing threw the final two innings of the game and held the Cardinals to the three runs so he did a good job.

Luis Gonzalez, Jorge Cantu, Wes Helms, and Dan Uggla all had one hit at the plate but that was it for the entire team. Talk about struggling at the plate against a pitcher that you should be able to score atleast a couple of runs off each time out there. Hopefully the bats come around this weekend when the fish take on the red hot Chicago Cubs.

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The Marlins beat the Mets 7-5 to take the rubber game of the series.  They knocked the Mets out of first place, handed Mike Plefrey his first loss since the end of May, and are now just a game and a half out of first.  

Starter Josh Johnson, making just his fourth start since coming back from Tommy John surgery finally got his first win of the season.  The Marlins are now 4-0 when Johnson has started for them.  In 6.2 innings pitched, Johnson allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out two.  Not only did he pitch well but Johnson hit a RBI double in the fourth inning.  

The Marlins offense really broke out in the fourth inning.  With the Mets leading 1-0, Jeremy Hermida tripled to lead off the inning.  Jorge Cantu singled to center allowing Hermida to score and tie the game.  Mike Pelfrey then retired to get Dan Uggla and Mike Jacobs.  It was with two outs that the Marlins did the real damage.  Cody Ross trippled to right, scoring Cantu from first.  John Baker doubled to center field, scoring Ross from third.  Baker would score on Josh Johnson’s double to center.  Hanley Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning, but the Marlins would lead the game 5-1.  The Mets looked like they would make a run at tying up the game when Damion Easley hit a three run homer in the top of the seventh, however Dan Uggla added two insurance runs with he hit a two run homer off Joe Smith in the bottom of the eighth.  Uggla now holds the record for most homeruns by a second baseman in his first three years as a starter.  The Mets would add one more in the top of the ninth, but the Marlins hold on to win 7-5. 

The Colorado Rockies come to town for a four game set.  Anibal Sanchez will make his first start of the season.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 

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The Marlins took the first of three against the New York Mets 7-3 on Monday night.  The Marlins are in the thick of it for the seat atop of the NL East and just pulled to one game out of first with the win.

Ricky Nolasco started the game for the Marlins.  He pitched six innings giving up two runs on seven hits, he did not walk anyone and struck out eight.  The winning pitcher was Doug Waechter who worked just one inning of relief.  He did give up an earned run, but was the pitcher of record when the Marlins took the lead. 

The Marlins played sloppy in the field and it cost them a couple of runs early in the game, Dan Uggla was charged with only one error, but it was much worse than just that one play.  Cody Ross misjudged a ball that went over his head, and Uggla made an errant throw on the back end of what should have been a double play, however, because you can’t assume the double play, he was not charged with an error.  

The Marlins’ offense took advantage of the Mets’ terrible pitching to walk away with a victory.  John Baker homered in the fifth inning to make the score 2-1, and the Marlins tied the score at two in the bottom of the sixth on a single by Cody Ross.  The Marlins were down by a run in the bottom of the eighth, when Josh Willingham doubled to left to lead off the inning and scored on a single to center by Dan Uggla, Uggla  advanced to third on a single by Wes Helms.  John Baker got credit for a bunt single that scored Uggla, and loaded the bases.  Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis then retired both Alfredo Amezega and Hanley Ramirez before facing pinch hitter Robert Andino, Schoeneweis threw a wild pitch that scored Helms and moved the other two runners into scoring postion.  Andino then hit a two run double to center, and would advance to third on Schoeneweis’ second wild pitch of the inning but was stranded there when Jorge Cantu grounded out to end the inning.   

The Marlins will have on the mound Scott Olsen (6-5 4.07 era).  The Mets will counter with Oliver Perez (6-6 4.15 era).  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 

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The Florida Marlins gave up ten runs in the fifth inning and went on to lose to the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 15-2.  Now that is an old fashioned butt kicking that the Marlins will just have to forget about before they head to the ballpark on Thursday.  It will now take a Marlins win on Thursday to avoid the three game sweep by their neightbors to the North.

Starting pitcher Ryan Tucker only lasted four innings as he gave up eight hits and seven runs including two home runs.  Carl Crawford took Tucker deep twice in the game including a three run shot and a solo home run.  Tucker was charged with three more runs in the fifth inning as well.

Eulogio De La Cruz gave up six more runs in the fifth inning after he came in for Tucker.  De La Cruz gave up a two run home run Evan Longoria and then all hell broke loose as the Rays pushed across four more runs to blow the game wide open.  Logan Kensing pitched the fifth and sixth innings and gave up one run.  Renyel Pinto, Justin Miller, and Kevin Gregg all pitched one inning of relief after Kensing left the game.  Miller gave up a solo home run to Ben Zobrist.  It was like the Marlins pitchers didn’t know how to throw the ball and get people out it.

Not that it really mattered but Mike Jacobs hit a solo home run in the sixth inning and then Dan Uggla had a rbi single in the eighth inning.  Matt Treanor scored on an error in the ninth inning to make the score 15-3.

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Some people subscribe to the theory that these heartbreaking defeats where the team battles and battles, but finally loses, are good for a team. They say these kind of losses build “character”. Well, if that is true, then the Florida Marlins lead all of major league baseball in character. Too bad you can’t trade in some of this character for a game or two in the standings. The division leading Phillies have hit a rough patch of their own, losing three straight, but once again, Florida fails to capitalize. Getting back to these heartbreaking, character building losses, it seems that The Fish follow the same formula in every one. First the starting pitcher puts them in a nice hole, the way Mark Hendrickson did last night, surrendering four runs in the third. Step two is the comeback phase, usually accomplished via the home run, provided last night by Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, and done twice by Dan Uggla, giving him 23 for the year. The comeback phase in these “Signature Losses” is done bit by bit, often requiring some ninth inning HR heroics, as was the case yesterday; Uggla’s second HR tied the game and sent it into extra innings. And of course, none of these losses would be complete without a really bad ending in which the Fish basically beat themselves. Sometimes it’s the bullpen that implodes with our relievers helping out the other team by doing things like walking the lead off man, or walking the pitcher, or throwing a wild pitch or two and getting so flustered that they just start serving fastballs right down the middle of the plate. Sometimes the bullpen is fine, but ERRORS are the reason we lose these types of games, as was the case last night. Bottom of the eleventh inning Eric Chavez, the A’s third baseman, launches a deep fly to left off Doug Waechter, our fifth pitcher. The ball is well hit, but it’s not going out. Off the wall maybe? No, Luis Gonzalez has plenty of room with his back against the wall and all he has to is reach up and catch it. He doesn’t even have to jump. So he raises his hand, the ball nestles nicely in the pocket of his glove and… and it pops out and hits the ground. Chavez ends up at second base and some guy called Kurt Suzuki promptly delivers the walk off hit. The Marlins have had so many of these kinds of losses this year that it’s getting to be like they’re actors following a script. And it’s a great script, very entertaining and all, complete with heroes and unfortunately, a goat or two, but it has a lousy ending; another Marlins loss.

I’m not one of those guys who believes in that losing builds character nonsense. The only thing these losses build is a track record of losing these type of “close and late” games. Far from building character, these losses are devastating to the psyche of teams, especially young teams like the Marlins. Late in the game or in extra innings a team that loses a lot of these types of games starts pressing. It’s like every guy on the field is thinking it, even subconsciously: how are we gonna blow it tonight? And : I sure hope I ain’t The Goat tonight, the guy who commits the error, or issues the walk that causes us to lose THIS game. Once teams start thinking like that, forget about it, they’re going to KEEP losing those kinds of games. Sure, looking at last night’s loss there are some positives we can take from the way the team battled back, never quit, kept on plugging away, etc., etc. Back in April & May when we had games like this and nobody really thought this team was going to be a serious contender, those types of pats on the back, those attempts to find some positives from these losses were acceptable. But not any more; not now. Not with the Marlins in a genuine pennant race. Now, there ARE NO positives to take from these kinds of losses. In fact there are some big negatives that they need to fix and quick. We have to find out why we make these kinds of errors and issue lead off walks and stuff like that in these kinds of close games. We need to figure out how to CLOSE THE DEAL in these games, not just make these great comebacks and then lose. Real contenders find a way to WIN these kinds of games; PRETENDERS find ways to lose them.

The Florida Marlins defeated the Seattle Mariners 8-3 Wednesday night, taking two out of three games against the AL West club. As they have done all season long, the Marlins used the long ball to power the team to victory, getting two run HRs from Mike Jacobs, his 17th, and Dan Uggla, his 21st. Rookie right hander Ryan Tucker picked up the win, his second in three starts. The win, combined  with a Philadelphia Phillies  loss to the Boston Red Sox, pulled The Fish to within two games of the Eastern Division lead.

Tucker gave the Marlins a solid six inning start, giving up two earned runs on seven hits, striking out four. He featured a lively fastball in the mid nineties, and had good command. He only walked two batters, which was very encouraging indeed, considering the control problems which have periodically plagued Marlins pitchers this year. Suddenly the Marlins’ pitching staff seems to be jelling into a formidable, if still a bit inconsistent, unit. The team that started the season with more question marks than answers, is now starting to evolve into one of the most promising young pitching staffs in the league. Tonight’s performance by Tucker follows another impressive start by Andrew Miller on Monday, giving the Marlins a potent lefty-righty rookie punch. Both youngsters feature electric arms that can bring the heat at 96 mph, accompanied by good breaking pitches. The talent is obvious; the only question was whether they can consistently show the command of the strike zone needed to win games in the major leagues. In addition to these two phenoms, the starting staff has gotten good performances from the “old men” of the staff, Scott Olsen, 24, and Ricky Nolasco, 25, who has emerged surprisingly as the team’s stopper this year. If this young staff continues to perform at this level, the Marlins have to be considered favorites to win the Eastern Division. Admittedly that’s a big “if” because the rookies are still learning how to pitch at the major league level, but the talent is there, and that talent, combined with a Marlins offense that bludgeons the opposition nightly under a  barrage of home runs, could carry this team to victory down the stretch. In baseball, it all begins and ends with pitching, and this young pitching staff is starting to come around. They will be getting a boost soon with the return of Josh Johnson and maybe Anibal Sanchez as well, so the prospects certainly are bright.

In addition to the good start from Tucker and the almost routine long ball display by the offense, the Marlins’ defense played an error free game, and the bullpen closed it out, but not before closer Kevin Gregg got everyone nervous again in the ninth inning. If the Marlins are to contend down the stretch, it is going to take more than just home runs and good performances by the starting pitchers. They are going to have to have more games with a big fat “0″ under the “E” on the scoreboard, and Gregg and the rest of the bullpen are going to have to tighten up their act as well. The Marlins slugging has enabled them to mostly overcome their suspect fielding this year, and the bullpen has been wildly inconsistent. Gregg in particular has been a 9th inning cardiac arrest in progress; even when he does manage to get the save he does so the hard way, walking batters, giving up hits, and in general making Marlins fans sweat every last out. Memo to Kevin: a one two three ninth inning is ok, you know. Every game does NOT need a dramatic ending.

Anyway, two out of three from Seattle is very good, and now The Fish are off to Oakland for three games starting Friday.

The Florida Marlins blew their one run lead in the top of the ninth inning but then came back in the bottom of the ninth inning as Dan Uggla hit another walk off home run.  This time it was a walk off grand slam that gave the Marlins a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Before Uggla’s grand slam (his 19th home run of the season), the Marlins other two runs came off the bat of Jorge Cantu who hit solo home runs in the first and seventh innings.  I would have liked to see more production for other guys in the lineup but sometimes that is just how things go in baseball.

Andrew Miller pitched seven innings and gave up four hits and one run as he started the game for the Marlins.  It was a very good outing for the young pitcher even though he got the no decision in the game.  Justin Miller tossed a scoreless eighth inning before Kevin Gregg was called in to close out the game.  However Gregg gave up a run and the game was tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the inning.  Gregg blew the save, but actually picked up the win as the Marlins scored in the bottom of the inning.

The Marlins will be going for the three game sweep on Thursday night as Scott Olsen will get the start on the mound against the Phillies.

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The Florida Marlins were not able to beat the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night as they lost 5-3.  The Marlins tried coming back but were only able to score one run in the eighth inning when they were needed to score three or four.

Mark Hendrickson pitched five innings and gave up eight hits and four runs to take the loss.  Hendrickson is now 5-2 on the season.  Doug Waechter gave up two hits and one run as he pitched in relief as well.  Matt Lindstrom pitched a scoreless inning after Waechter left the game.

Cody Ross had a solo home run in the eighth inning for the Marlins.  The other rbi’s for the Marlins came in the fifth and seventh innings.  In the fifth inning, Hanley Ramirez had a sac fly to score a run and then in the seventh inning, Dan Uggla had a rbi single to center field.

The Marlins are now 23-16 on the season.  I see them bouncing back tomorrow and picking up their 24th win of the season.  Marlins Blog