Archive for Game Recaps
It Has Begun
Posted by: | CommentsIt is about time we saw some action from the Marlins this season. Too bad that action was not on the field. Yesterday, the Marlins, who spent a small fortune during the off-season in order to be contenders this year, sent Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to the Detroit Tigers for, well, let’s face it, Jacob Turner.
Oh yeah, as Dave mentioned here, this trade was historically significant because it marks the first time teams have traded their compensation picks. According to Peter Gammons, The Marlins obtain prospects Rob Brantly and Brian Flynn along with Turner. The Tigers will also now have the last pick in compensation round A (after the first round), while the Marlins will have the final pick in compensation round B (after the second round).
Marlins vs. Cardinals Opening Day post-game thread
Posted by: | CommentsThis was supposed to be a “hey guys, what a great game!” post-game thread but, unfortunately, it’s the complete opposite. However, since it is Opening Day and I’m in a rather positive mood, let’s bang out the positives of this game first before the negatives. So, umm, let me think.
- Baseball is back
- Josh Johnson didn’t exit the game with an injury
- Hanley Ramirez didn’t exit the game with an injury
- Jose Reyes didn’t exit the game with an injury
- Logan Morrison didn’t tweet
- and finally, the Marlins didn’t play all that bad
.
They really didn’t. Kyle Lohse struck out only two batters through seven innings and, with his lack of over-powering stuff that isn’t surprising. Since 2007, Lohse hasn’t struck out more than six batters per nine innings, so he’s surviving from the help of his defense. Bad luck by Marlins’ hitters and some nice plays by the Cards’ infield helped Lohse breeze through the first seven, but the Fish did squeeze out a run once the right-hander departed. Until the 8th inning the Marlins had only one hit to their name but, thanks to good old John Buck, they would score a run after an Omar Infante hit.
Marlins Daily Prospect Report: 8-18-11
Posted by: | CommentsYour daily prospect report, courtesy of yours truly and the guys in the system.
Double-A Jacksonville (in 7-3 loss to Mobile)
Kevin Dominguez — 2-4 w/ a strikeout
Dominguez isn’t much of a prospect, but he’s still hitting .253/.304 on the season, including a .357 hash in just over a dozen Double-A at-bats.
Kyle Jensen -- 1-5 w/ a HR
Jensen is a thick, large-bodied outfielder who remains a longshot to stay in that position, but the bat is definitely there. Kyle Jensen hit his 24th home run of the season tonight
Brad Hand — 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 (BB) | 4 (K)
Hand showed terrible command tonight, but still managed to keep the runs off the board. The case of Hand, a Major Leaguer one day and a Southern Leaguer the next, is quite astonishing as you never know what kind of numbers he’ll put up. Take today’s start with a grain of salt, as a variety of reasons could have led to his wildness.
Low-A Greensboro (in 6-2 loss to Lakewood)
Marcell Ozuna — 1-4 w/ HR (20)
We already knew that Ozuna is arguably the streakiest hitter in the minor leagues, but his power might also be the most raw. Ozuna has tons of holes in his swing and likely is power and nothing else, but he’s getting the job done.
Jacob Realmuto — 1-4
Realmuto has put up an outstanding South Atlantic League line of .282/.345 in his first season of pro ball. In addition, he’s shown the ability to hit for power and play solid defense behind the plate. He’s one of my sleeper candidates in the Marlins system.
Marlins Prospect Report: 8/3/2011
Posted by: | CommentsYour daily Marlins Minor League report…
Double-A Jacksonville (in 6-2 win over Montgomery)
Nothing extremely special took place in the Jacksonville’s victory over Montgomery. Although Kyle Skipworth again struggled at the plate, something that’s not the least bit unusual for him. Aside from going 0-2 at the plate, he dropped his average down to .198 for the year. He’s got plenty of work to do but only being 20 years of age means he’s still got some time. There were, however, a few bright spots which you’d obviously expect from the winning team. The intriguing and heartwarming story of newly-turned pitcher Chris Hatcher was displayed again tonight. The right-hander, who’s been enjoying a fine season on the mound struck out two batters in an inning of work while not walking anybody. In addition, former Tigers pitcher Zach Simons struck out three in two innings of relief while not allowing a batter to reach base via the base on balls.
High-A Jupiter (in 6-1 loss to St. Lucie)
Fortunately for the Marlins, despite their farm being amongst the emptiest in the game, there have been quite a few bright spots. One of which is outfielder Kyle Jensen who despite being 23 years of age and in High-A has put on quite a showing this season with the bat. In 361 at-bats on the year he sports a .313/.389/.548 line and has even belted 21 home runs. He strikes out way too much and is basically all bat, thus he isn’t that much of a prospect. It’s unclear what the Marlins ongoing plans for him will be, but we know he can hit, which most hitters in the organization cannot say.
Low-A Greensboro (in 1-0 loss to West Virginia)
Wow, that’s a tough one to lose. I guess it’s a good thing that minor league scores and records mean absolutely nothing. It really wasn’t a bad day for the Greensboro hitters. Marcell Ozuna collected two more hits, Christian Yelich one and same goes for Mark Canha. Good day’s for the three best hitters on the Grasshoppers. Robert Morey, a right-handed starter with fringe stuff fared out well too, pitching seven scoreless striking out basically a batter per inning while only walking one.
Transactions:
Bryan Evans assigned to Double-A Jacksonville from High-A Jupiter
Evan Reed, who was acquired along with Omar Poveda in the Jorge Cantu trade back in ’10 has been assigned to High-A Jupiter from Double-A Jacksonville, in a corresponding move.
A.J. Battisto also assigned to High-A Jupiter from Double-A Jacksonville
Holden Sprague assigned to Low-A Greensboro from Low-A SS Jamestown
Nathan Woods and Thomas Peale assigned to Low-A SS Jamestown from the GCL and Greensboro respectively
Injury Updates:
Dallas Poulk has been activated from the 7-day DL and re-assigned to High-A Jupiter
Marlins Prospect Report: 8/1/11
Posted by: | CommentsSome Minor League updates from Monday’s games…
AA Jacksonville (in 9-3 loss to Montgomery)
Jose Alvarez: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 91-57 P/S
A diminutive left-hander, Alvarez has continued to impress this season despite a rough Double-A stint in which his ERA has jumped to the 5.00′s. Even with recent struggles, it’s 30 innings pitched and his stuff hasn’t seemingly or suddenly disappeared. Thus he’s maintaining a solid walk rate and racking up a nice strikeout total (basically eight per nine innings throughout the season) even while getting hit around in the Southern League. Ever since his Boston days, I’ve always believed Alvarez is best suited for a potential bullpen role at the Major League level, especially being left-handed and only standing 5’11/155.
High-A Jupiter (in 4-3 loss to Daytona)
Jeff Dominguez: 2-4 with two home runs, three RBI’s and a walk
He’s extremely old for the level (25), doesn’t get on-base and most importantly isn’t your typical shortstop. At least defensively. But Jeff Dominguez certainly might have a career as a backup infielder or even fourth outfielder as long if he continues to hit. He’s got some speed and a pretty good arm but needs to get out of Jupiter, and quite fast I might add, if the Marlins have any hopes of Dominguez potentially making an impact.
Alfredo Lopez: 0-4 with two strikeouts
It doesn’t take a genius for one to realize that an 0-4 night isn’t overwhelmingly good, but Lopez is an intriguing little player which is why I wanted to discuss him. He wasn’t spectacular in Jamestown, but he’s toolsy as hec and has made lots of progress with the bat since being drafted in 2010. He’s a second-baseman who plays the position well and has real quick feet, which obviously gives him better range. He’s got a decent arm, one that isn’t strong but will definitely keep him at second-base. He doesn’t project to get much taller than he already is, but he might gain a few more pounds of muscle. He’s got nice bat speed and has shown lots of plate discipline since the move from Jamestown. Lopez doesn’t have much power but he makes contact real well and drives the ball, even if not our of the park.
Edgar Olmos: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
I’ve liked Edgar Olmos for a while, even since he was drafted. In fact, throughout the first few years of his Minor League career the reports have been solid, even if the stats haven’t. He was drafted in 2008 and still finds himself in High-A, but he was a high school pick so he’s still young. Alas, there really isn’t a rush either way. Olmos is left-handed, stands 6’5 and throws the ball on a downhill plain. He throws low-mid 90′s with a good curveball with some depth. However, he’s often been inconsistent with his velocity which has obviously caused him some bumps in the road. He’s got a good fastball with sink and has been known to challenge hitters, so he’s someone keep an eye on.
Transactions
RHP Chris Squires assigned to Low-A Greensboro from High-A Jupiter
No injuries reported as of today
Home Run Derby 2011: A Father-Son Story
Posted by: | CommentsWith the Fish riding into the All-Star break with a season-best five game winning streak, Marlins fans will be able to savor these few days after an up and down start to 2011.
PHEONIX, AZ– Imagine heading to the park after dinner with dad to bat some baseballs around. Think about heading out with him to chase down every last one you hit, bringing them back to the the little patch of dirt that’s supposed to represent the pitcher’s mound, then starting all over again.
You and dad, one-on-one, out on the field together.
Many baseball fans have these fond memories safely tucked away, having spent much of their little league careers practicing with dad.
Imagine that same exchange with your father, but this time in front of over 40,000 people including the games greatest players, and broadcasted nationally to millions more on baseball’s biggest stage.
Now imagine setting a world-record in the final round to win it!
Wow.
ESPN pundits and seam-heads around the country didn’t give Cano, who plays a traditionally light-hitting position, much of a chance.
With his father Jose tossing fastballs over the inner-half of the plate, Robbie had more than a chance.
Jose Cano, a former pitcher for the Houston Astros, did his best impersonation of the current Astros pitching staff by serving up dingers hand-over-fist to his son.
The elder Cano spent the entire competition without cracking a smile until the tying bomb was hit.
As the final blast lifted towards the left field bleachers and Chase field pool, father and son both flashed smiles that could have powered all of downtown Arizona for days.
In the end, the best home run hitters in the game proved no match for a father throwing balls to his son at the park.
It was announced Monday that Philadelphia Phillies RHP Roy Halladay will start for the Senior Circuit, with Los Angeles of Angels RHP Jered Weaver taking the ball for the A.L. squad.
*Here’s a look at a great week of entertainment: HP7 and the MLB All-Star Game.
Hanley’s on a Hot Streak
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing a successful series against the Athletics, Hanley Ramirez followed up today hitting two homers and a double. I don’t want to jinx him, and it is just a few games, but Hanley hasn’t been this hot all season — and yeah, that’s kind of sad to say. But a positive outing for the Fish as a whole as Brad Hand and the ‘pen hung on to help the Marlins earn their first win of the month. Following Hanley’s second homer, the always-tweeting Logan Morrison went deep, scoring the ninth run of the game for the Marlins, before Mujica and Nunez eventually shut the door.
I’m poised to believe that Hanley’s recent showing could be the start of a hot streak, but hey, the creation of this blog jinxed the Marlins for the whole months of June. Alas, the last thing I want to do is jinx Hanley (as I previously said). However, he’s currently finishing off a week that’s consisted of his best offensive stint of the year, and he’s getting some offensive help behind him, which is nice to see. Unfortunately, Mike Stanton is not one of those guys, as he only has 12 hits in his last 53 at-bats, with no homers and two walks in that span, but again, the dawn of a new month is here and his updated ZiPS projection (.359 wOBA) favors him a good deal. So anyway, good win (can’t complain with a win, even if it was dirty, amirite?) and a victory tomorrow gives the Marlins their first series win since Jack McKeon was a young lad.
WPA Graph
And The Losing Streak Lives On
Posted by: | CommentsDoes anybody watch “Lost?” Has anybody watched “Lost?” Does anybody know the concept of “Lost” — as in, the show? Well, they canned the show six seasons in, but there was one scene that replicates the Marlins June with 100% accuracy. In 2009, I believe, Season 5 premiered. Leading up to it, we were told the opening scene would feature as much uncertainty as uncertainty gets. It started with Dr. Chang, who woke up along with his wife and their infantile baby, Miles. Dr. Chang quickly hopped out of bed with one thing in mind. It was not to get in the shower, it wasn’t getting dressed. No. He strolled straight over to the record player and turned on some Willie Nelson — the song was called Shotgun Willie. About 30 seconds in to the song, it skipped, and skipped, and skipped, and skipped. Not sure guys, but doesn’t that kind of remind you of the Marlins season?
Something happened in this game that stood out. Something that I hadn’t seen since the Marlins were in their April groove. It was attitude. Not just attitude, but determination, fight, and anger. After seeing Hanley argue — and I mean really get steamed prior to arguing — a call with home plate umpire Dan Bellino in the 9th inning, he showed the fierce side of Hanley. Prior to that, I feel like all we’ve seen from this team is the equivalent of watching sheep hop fences in when trying to go to bed.
I would at least assume that the inception, or re-inception of the Jack McKeon era has to have an impact on these guys. On one hand, they must feel bad about Edwin leaving and having all of this pinned on management. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be nice to start fresh? This is the Marlins chance, if that’s their wish. It’s a perfect time to do so as well. McKeon isn’t messing around to say the least, and I don’t blame him.
Post Game Thread: Marlins Lose 15 of 16
Posted by: | CommentsWho wants to take it from here? I know I don’t. Let’s just say this is frustrating.
Here we go. This is what I was looking for. Just watch this video and then you’ll agree that all we can say is “You stay classy, Marlins!”
