Are the Marlins Falling Apart?

There are two ways to look at the recent struggles of the Florida Marlins.  One, the Marlins are just four games out of the first place Phillies despite going 2-8 in their last 10 games.  The team has also not been consistently healthy all year and therefore it has been incredible that the team is just four games out.  Before last night’s game, the Marlins finally placed All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez on the disabled list with lower back inflammation.  Ramirez had not appeared in a game since leaving in the second inning of a loss to the Dodgers on March 29^th.  The team’s ace, Josh Johnson, has yet to throw off a mound due to right shoulder inflammation.  Manager Edwin Rodriguez has had to manage the last few games with a short bench.  As a result, this predicament has definitely played a role in some of the team’s losses throughout the last 10 games.

The other way to look at this stretch is that the Marlins have had plenty of opportunities to score runs and have not been successful doing so.  During this 2-8 collapse, the Marlins have lost five games by only one run.  Before the Marlins played the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the team held a record of 14-4 in one-run games.  Since then, the team has dropped down to 14-9 in these situations.  Early on in the season, the team would find ways to win the close games either with a clutch hit or superb pitching out of the bullpen.  It seems that lately, however, the team is finding ways to lose these close games.  In the last 10 games, the Marlins are batting .188 (18 for 96) with runners in scoring position.  That is a definite recipe for disaster. 

The pitching has not helped either.  Without Josh Johnson, the starting pitchers have combined for a record of 1-4 and an ERA of 6.75 in 53.1 innings in the last 10 games.  In addition, the starting rotation has pitched into the seventh inning just twice in the last 10 games.  The bullpen has been relatively efficient but has not been the same bullpen that was unstoppable at the beginning of the season.  In the last 10 games, the bullpen has posted a record of 1-4 with an ERA of 4.33 and just one save in 35.1 innings.  In a way, the bullpen has kept the games close, but because the offense has had trouble scoring runs, they eventually falter.   

After last night’s loss to the Brewers, the Marlins are four games out of the first place Phillies and tied for second place with the Atlanta Braves.  Incidentally, the Atlanta Braves are making their first trip to South Florida this season for a three-game series.  This could not have come at a better time or at a worse time, depending on how the Marlins play throughout this series.  One thing in for sure, the rotation is going to have to go deep into games and give the bullpen a rest.  The Marlins will hand the ball to Brad Hand who was called up from Double-A before last night’s game.  The left-hander was 7-1 with an ERA of 3.53 at Double-A Jacksonville this season. The Marlins will face Tommy Hanson today followed by Derek Lowe tomorrow, and Jair Jurrjens on Thursday.  If the Marlins want to have a successful series against their division rivals, they are going to have to hit better with runners in scoring position.  The best thing for this team to do is to wipe the slate clean.  In other words, take this series one game at a time or even one at-bat at a time.  If the Marlins start to think too far ahead or think about the squandered opportunities of the past, then they are going to have a tough time getting past the Atlanta Braves this week.