Marlins struggling to stay afloat
The Miami Marlins were a trendy pick at the beginning of the 2015 Major League Baseball season to make the playoffs as a wild-card team in the National League East. Most were picking the Washington Nationals to run away with things in the division, but Miami’s young core remained intriguing.
A few weeks into the season, and the bandwagon is emptier than a Justin Bieber concert at an old folk’s home. Miami is off to a miserable 3-11 start coming into Wednesday, the worst mark of any team sans the Milwaukee Brewers. The Marlins are already eight games behind the New York Mets, who are off to a blazing start in the Big Apple.
Miami has struggled to pitch throughout the young campaign, allowing 72 runs, second-most in the National League to the sad-sack Brewers. With Jose Fernandez out while he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, Mike Redmond’s group was going to lean heavily on Henderson Alvarez. After last year’s strong campaign, Alvarez was expected to become a borderline All-Star in many circles but instead has hit the disabled list with an elbow ailment.
With the 25-year-old shelved, the Marlins looked to Mat Latos to become the ace of the rotation. Instead, Latos has been one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, compiling an 0-3 record with a 10.28 ERA and a 2.38 WHIP. The 27-year0-old was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds with the intent of strengthening the staff, but so far it has been a failed experiment.
Miami has not made the playoffs since winning the 2003 World Series against the New York Yankees, with Josh Beckett famously celebrating on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium after his Game 6 triumph. The Marlins have since changed their name and become something of a forgotten franchise, although the young bucks including Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Adeiny Hechavarria and Christian Yelich are trying to change that.
Falling behind in the NL East is a dangerous game with the Nationals likely to make a big run with its stacked pitching staff and a Mets team that refuses to lose. While the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are probably destined for 90-loss seasons, the Marlins could be digging themselves a hole they can’t rebound from.
Cardinals keep rolling
We need to stop quickly and give a nod to the St. Louis Cardinals. The model franchise of baseball over the last 15 years is once again leading the NL Central, holding a half-game lead over the Chicago Cubs.
The amazing thing is how the Cardinals are winning. St. Louis has scored only 44 runs but has a tremendous +18 run differential, third-best in the National League. The Cardinals have allowed just 26 runs, 16 less than the Mets, who are second-best in the league. All other NL teams have surrendered over 50.
