Week In Review

Overview: The Marlins dropped the opener of the season in New York but bounced back to win the final two. That pattern repeated itself in back in Miami against the Dodgers, giving the Fish two series wins and a nice 4-2 opening week.

Positives: Jorge Cantu is red hot to start the year. He has a hit and an RBI in all six games, including the game-winning sacrifice fly on Saturday and a 5-RBI game this afternoon. The rest of the team is also hitting pretty well. Ronnie Paulino had a couple key hits late in games, Hanley Ramirez is his usual self, and Gaby Sanchez has been a pleasant surprise hitting eighth in the lineup.

Negatives: The bullpen. Well, they had a pretty rough week. With the exception of Burke Badenhop's stellar long relief in two outings and saves by Tim Wood and Leo Nunez, they have been horrific. The starting pitching also could be a bit better. Josh Johnson hasn't been his usual dominant self, and the rest of the staff should be pitching deeper into ballgames.

My main negative of the week though is the absence of the Teal Tower and out of town scoreboard in left field. If you haven't heard/seen, it's been replaced by huge advertising signs because the scoreboard was in need of repair which was deemed too pricey. I could go on a 500+ word rant here, but since it's a week in review, I'll refrain and simply say booooooooo. Not cool.

Highlight of the Week: The Marlins treated the home fans on Saturday to the first walk-off win of the year. Ronnie Paulino tied the game with a double to deep center (would have been a walk-off bomb in most parks). And as mentioned earlier, Jorge Cantu won it with a sac-fly.

Line of the Week: Not to beat a dead horse, but a huge week for Cantu, his totals: 8-25, 4 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI

Looking Ahead: The Marlins have a tough week starting with a four-game set at home with the Cincinnati Reds. The weekend brings the year's first trip to Philadelphia for a traditional three-game series with the Phillies.