Surprising Marlins stepping up to plate
Joe Girardi is as surprised as anyone.
“I knew we would play better,” the Florida Marlins’ rookie manager said, “but I did not expect this.”
He’s surely not alone.
No one could have expected this – a four-week run where the untried, rebuilding and rookie-loaded Marlins were the hottest team in baseball.
Led by a bunch of relative unknowns, the Marlins are 18-6 in their last 24 games and have climbed out of last place in the N.L. East. Josh Johnson leads the majors with a 2.01 ERA. Dan Uggla has 12 home runs. Scott Olsen has won four consecutive starts.
Who, exactly, are these guys?
They’re the future, which right now is looking pretty good.
“I just like how, regardless of how we were playing, we were still coming in and working hard and still believing,” said left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who finished second in the N.L. Cy Young Award balloting last season but is off to a 3-6 start in 2006. “Now it’s starting to pay off.”
Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera – among the N.L. leaders with a .342 average, 83 hits and 23 doubles – came into this year as the veterans of sorts in the Marlins’ clubhouse.
Never mind that Willis is still only 24 and Cabrera just 23, they are the sages on a team that split with Carlos Delgado, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Pierre, Todd Jones and Luis Castillo from last year’s team – slicing $45 million in payroll, down to a major league-low $15 million in 2006.
But a bunch of guys getting their first chance at being major-league regulars – like Johnson, Uggla, Mike Jacobs (.273) and Hanley Ramirez (.268, 20 stolen bases) – are making the most of their opportunity.
“When you’ve got young guys, rookies, they always want to prove themselves,” Girardi said. “It’s like they need to show themselves that they can really play on this level.”
The Marlins were 11-31 on May 21, losers of seven straight. They beat the Chicago Cubs 9-1 the next day, and the roll hasn’t stopped since. Postseason tickets probably aren’t being printed yet, but there’s a clear sense of confidence accompanying Florida’s current eight-game winning streak – one shy of the team record.
During this 24-game run, Florida has outscored opponents 117-74, is 8-2 in games decided by two runs or less, and has a team ERA of 2.82.
“It all starts with starting pitching,” Girardi said. “When you’ve got that, you’ve got a chance.”
And in the eight-game winning streak, the Marlins’ numbers are even better. Team ERA: 1.85. Batting average: .279. Run differential: 37-16.
Hard as it may be to believe, the Marlins were only 3 1/2 games out of second place in the N.L. East entering Monday’s play. They were a half-game behind Washington for third – and in the most stunning development of all, were a game ahead of Atlanta, the perennial division champion.
True, they are just 29-37. But, finally, there’s reason for hope.
Rolen carries load for Cardinals
Albert Pujols’ side injury could have been devastating for the St. Louis Cardinals. Instead, they’ve gotten as much production from the third slot in the order without him.
Scott Rolen is still recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery performed last August. Doctors have told him it’ll be this August before he’s 100 percent.
“They said it’s going to be a year and I believe them,” Rolen said. “My range of motion still isn’t what it was. I still have tightness, I still have soreness and weakness from time to time.”
You’d never know it by his production. His .341 average is among the N.L. leaders, and he was close to an RBI-a-game pace the last 27 games.
“He’s 100 percent mentally, and I think that’s the most important thing,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He is so strong.”
Mitchell contacts coaches
Members of the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff have been contacted by former Sen. George Mitchell in his independent investigation of steroids in baseball.
Several people within Major League Baseball confirmed that coaches on Alou’s staff had heard from Mitchell. They spoke on condition of anonymity after being asked not to discuss the investigation publicly. Harvey Shields, one of Giants slugger Barry Bonds’ personal trainers, who works for the team, also was being sought by Mitchell.
Alou said he had not yet been contacted by Mitchell, “but I probably will.”
There is no timetable for completing the investigation.
Young returns to Durham
Delmon Young has finished his 50-game suspension for flinging a bat that hit an umpire in the chest, saying he hopes to move beyond the embarrassing moment that was replayed on television broadcasts across the country.
The 20-year-old Young was suspended after taking a third strike on a pitch during a game in Pawtucket, R.I., in April. When Young delayed leaving the batter’s box, the umpire ejected him. Young then flipped his bat underhand, hitting the umpire.