Will the Real Florida Marlins Please Stand Up?

Not so long ago, the Florida Marlins could do no wrong.

They broke out early in the season, sweeping the Nationals, taking two of three from the Mets, sweeping the Braves, taking the broom to Washington yet again, and finding themselves atop the NL East with an 11-1 record before the dust settled. 

Next, the Marlins cruised into Pittsburgh looking to extend their seven-game winning streak—but left with a major headache.

The Pirates, looking to shed the pushover label they've carried since 1992, swept the the Fish, dropping Florida to 11-4.

When the Phillies visited Dolphin Stadium Friday, the Marlins looked ready to jump back on the winning track, taking a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning.  They were three outs away from win No. 12, but Freddy Lindstrom couldn’t close out the game.

Instead, he opened the floodgates.  The Phillies scored seven times in the frame, with Shane Victorino’s grand slam serving the biggest blow, and Chase Utley capping off the meltdown with a solo shot.

Marlins starter Josh Johnson, en route to a 3-0 record, watched his win disappear as the Phillies won, 7-3.

The free-fall continued when Philadelphia handed Florida a 6-4 loss Saturday and a 13-2 beating Sunday to drop the Marlins to 11-7.

On Monday, the team lost both its seventh straight game—a 7-1 defeat to the Mets in New York—and star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who took a fastball to the wrist and plans to sit out for at least few games.

Emilio Bonifacio, who had raced out to a .583 batting average, going 14-24 at the beginning of the season, managed only seven hits in his next 55 at-bats over a 13-game stretch, lowering his average to .266.

Center fielder Cameron Maybin, expected to have a breakthrough season in 2009, has been a huge disappointment so far. He's hitting .189, with one homer and one run batted in through his first 53 at-bats of the season.

Second baseman Dan Uggla has 16 RBI and four homers.  But Uggla's average fell from .314 to .217 during Florida's second series' against Washington and Pittsburgh, where he battled an 0-for-21 slump over the last two games against the Nationals and the next three at the Pirates. 

Lindstrom's 1.50 ERA coming into the Phillies series Friday was 10.80 by the time the seven-run ninth ended.

Starter Ricky Nolasco is 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA, and has yet to throw a good start this season.

Fifth starter Andrew Miller—0-1 with a 6.94 ERA—has also struggled.

With the Marlins clinging to a half-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East, we'll see tonight if Nolasco can finally put together a strong outing against veteran Mets hurler Livan Hernandez.

Tonight is the night for the real Marlins to stand up.

Will it be the team that started the season 11-1, or the one mired in a seven-game losing streak?

 

Baseball Roundup

The Red Sox' 11-game winning streak, best in the majors this year, finally enabled them to move into first place in the AL East Monday. The Marlins' seven consecutive losses currently make up 2009's longest losing streak.

The Blue Jays lead the majors in runs scored with 125, while the Orioles have given up the most runs, yielding 134. The Astros and Diamondbacks have scored the fewest runs, with 70 each, while the Royals have allowed the fewest runs, 65.

Kevin Youkilis, the only current .400 hitter this season, is hitting .414. Youkilis leads the majors in OBP at .523, and is second in slugging behind Torii Hunter with a .729 mark. He also leads MLB in OPS with a 1.252 percentage.

Carlos Pena leads the majors in home runs with nine, and leads the AL in RBI with 24. Chris Davis leads the majors in strikeouts, with 31 in 64 at-bats, along with only four walks. He is on track for 277 whiffs this season, which would shatter the record. Davis, on the offensive side, is also projected to hit 45 homers and drive in 81 runs.

Johan Santana, Clayton Kershaw, and Tim Lincecum lead the majors with most strikeouts in a game, all three posting 13-strikeout games. ESPN.com rates Aaron Harang's 2-0 complete-game win over the Pirates, in which Harang allowed three hits and struck out nine, as the best-pitched game of the season to date.

Ryan Zimmerman (15 games) and Robinson Cano (13 games) own the season's longest hitting streaks.

Felix Hernandez, Paul Maholm, and Kyle Lohse will try for 4-0 records today, while Chad Billingsley will aim for 5-0. Francisco Liriano and Manny Parra are the only 0-4 pitchers this season.

Andruw Jones continues to hit well for the Rangers, batting .370 with two homers and five RBI. Seven of his 10 hits have been for extra bases, including five doubles. He has an OBP of .514, is slugging .778 and has an OPS of 1.292, which would lead the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify.