There's a reason the Marlins have the reputation they have...

Marlins players openly joke about the looming salary slashing. "Happy trails to you, Danny Boy!'' Ross Gload said to Dan Uggla. "You're making too much money. I hope we get a good pitcher for you.''

via the Miami Herald


AP Photo/Tom Mihalek via ESPN.com

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This Week in Schadenfreude

In the seventh inning of tonights Marlins-Mets game, the Marlins had a runner on second with two outs and the pitcher's spot coming up to bat. Fredi Gonzalez sent up Ross Gload to pinch hit, and then the Mets did something inexplicable: they intentionally walked Gload to get to Chris Coglan, he of the .309 batting average and 47 hits in August. At that moment, Ted and I had the following exchange on gChat (edited for spelling and grammar, of course):

Dave: Why would the Mets intentionally walk Ross Gload to get to Coghlan, the hottest non-Hanley hitter in the lineup?

Ted: It was the last dumb thing on the Mets' checklist of things to accomplish this year.

Dave: Well put.
Ted: Like a scavenger hunt.
Dave: They walk Gload to get to Coghlan, who singles, then they have to face Johnson and Hanley, who both single. Why are they so scared of Gload?

Ted: Well he has been extraordinarily good as a pinch hitter, but I'd rather to pitch to a .300 pinch hitter than a .300 everyday guy.

The Marlins scored three runs that inning, all because the Mets refused to pitch to Ross Gload, who is hitting .264 this year. As Bill Simmons would say, these are your 2009 Mets! And the Marlins went on to win 13-4, sweeping the Mets in their final trip to Citi Field this year. Not as nice as beating the Mets on the final day of the season to knock them out of the playoffs (twice!), but it will do for now.


Image via Meet the Mess store

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Week in Review

Cody Ross walks off.

Overview: The Marlins won both series against the Braves and Cubs, finishing the week 4-2.
Positives: New acquisition Nick Johnson has reached base in six of his first ten plate appearances as a Marlin, it's like he knows how to get on base and stuff... and getting benched has not seemed to affect Emilio Bonifacio. The Marlins have made two straight ninth-inning comebacks, and are proving to be very resilient, which I will take as a good sign.
Negatives: Hanley was removed with a knee ouchie on Saturday and did not start on Sunday, but I am told it was a precautionary move ahead of an off day. The Marlins gave up a lot of runs in the 9th and 10th innings this week, leaving me pause to worry about the state of the bullpen. It was probably wise not to give up Sean West or Andrew Miller for Heath Bell, but I am hoping that move does not backfire in the short run. The Fish need to find themselves a fifth starter. Burke Badenhop was placed on the 15-day DL, and Miller on the minor league DL, this week, leaving the Marlins with limited options (Tim Wood? Brian Sanches? Someone else?)...
Highlight of the Week: Don't be a dick and make me choose between Gload's and Ross' walkoff taters. I should not be forced to pick a favorite. Uggla's game-tying tater tot on Sunday was pretty epic as well, reaching the upper deck.
Line of the Week: Josh Johnson served up his 18th (!) quality start of the year on Wednesday, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings while serving up a three-run home run (negating the 3 earned runs, as it were). He's like Carlos Zambrano, except he's not batshit crazy. Nice week for Rosses and Johnsons...¹
Looking Ahead: The Marlins have Monday off, then go on the road, playing three in Washington followed by an important three-game set at Philadelphia.


AP Photo/Jeffrey M. Boan

¹Pervert...

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Week in Review

Overview: It was an eventful week with many rain delays and an epic doubleheader on Wednesday that went 23 total innings and concluded at 1:48 AM. The Marlins' slide has gotten worse though, as they went just 2-5 this week, with a couple of those losses in heartbreaking fashion.
Positives: I tried outlining some positives in a recent post, but it's tough. There are some good individual performances here and there but for the most part everyone is struggling.
Negatives: Ricky Nolasco's struggles have continued and he has been sent down to AAA to work things out. The team has also made a habit of blowing early leads. On the day of the doubleheader alone the Marlins blew leads of 3-0, 4-0, and 7-4.
Highlight of the Week: Ross Gload delivered the team's third walk off victory of the year with a game-winning single through the (very underused in my opinion) five-man infield in Sunday's finale against the Rays.
Line of the Week: The club achieved a rare dubious distinction in Saturday's game. It was the first time in eleven years a team walked nine batters, hit a batter, committed a balk, made three errors, and allowed ten runs in a game. (H/T Joe Frisaro)
Looking Ahead: Back on the road, the Fish will play three in Philadelphia starting tonight and then a weekend series in New York.

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Rotation Set

Looks like Ted was right, Andrew Miller will start the season in the bullpen. The team named Anibal Sanchez the fourth starter, and Miller will join the rotation as the fifth starter on April 15. It seems like a sensible move to me, as Miller is still working on his motion so as to not throw across his body. Some extra time in the pen and some long relief duty in garbage time will give him an extra few weeks to iron out the kinks. Miller could become an ace, so there's no rush in getting him two extra starts in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Marlins picked up RHP Hayden Penn from the Orioles in exchange for Robert Andino in a rather unsurprising exchange of players out of options with no spots on their former teams. Hopefully Andino will find room to grow in the Orioles organization. As for Penn, he hasn't shown much promise in scant major league action, but in my mind, relievers are mostly a crapshoot: sometimes they put it together for long stretches, and sometimes they're Jorge Julio. Since the Fish would have been forced to release Andino, at least they got something in return.

The Fish also traded popular Player to be Named to Kansas City for first-baseman Ross Gload. Gload is being penciled in as Jorge Cantu's backup at first, which I am interpreting as disappointment in Gaby Sanchez. He had the first-base job all but locked up in the spring, but will open the season in Triple-A New Orleans. Surely, we will see him again by September (and maybe sooner), but in the meantime, the Marlins needed someone whose primary position was first base (with Wes Helms and Jorge Cantu being natural third-basemen).

So with Opening Day fast approaching, the roster appears all but set, with the injury status of Alfredo Amezega being the major remaining question.

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