SporTech Matter

The Marlins take on the Diamondbacks in the third game of a four-game series in Arizona. It is the third game of a seven-game road trip to Arizona (0-2, 2g remaining) and San Francisco (July 27-29). The Marlins were 6-4 on the recent 10-game homestand vs. the Nationals (2-1), Cardinals (1-2) and Reds (3-1).

LAST NIGHT, THERE WAS NO BITE ON THE SINKER

The Marlins lost 9-3 to the Diamondbacks in Arizona. The DBacks jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Dan Uggla (2×4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his first of two HR in the game. RHP Sergio Mitre (4-5) took the loss, allowing 7 R (6 ER) in 3.0 innings.

MULTIPLICITY

Dan Uggla hit 2 HR last night, his fourth multi-HR game of the season. His four multi-HR games ties the club single-season record, established when Preston Wilson had four in 2001, and equalled when Mike Lowell had four in 2004 (including one 3-HR game).

I’ll be honest. I went to sleep early when this one got out of hand. If the Marlins are going to play out west with start times of 9:40 or later, they need to win. Some of us have to get up and go to work in the morning.

Is that so much to ask?

Scott Olsen takes the mound tonight, his first start since fighting the cops. 2 scenarios here. 1) Olsen dominates the D-Backs or 2) Olsen gets dominated having too much on his mind.

Regardless, GO FISH!!!

The Marlins and Reds play the 3rd of a 4g series at Dolphin Stadium. Today marks the 3rd of 7g between the clubs this season. They will play Aug. 24-26 in Cincy. The Fish are 54-68 (27-32 home) all-time against the Reds, including 1-1 (1-1 home) this season.

LAST NIGHT, HR’S FLEW OUT OF THE PARK LIKE FIREWORKS

The Marlins beat the Reds 10-2 at Dolphin Stadium. Dan Uggla, Miguel Cabrera and Miguel Olivo all homered. Hanley Ramirez and Uggla each had 3 hits. LHP Scott Olsen (8-7) earned the win, allowing 2ER in 7.0 innings. This Fish are 5-1 this season when scoring 10+ runs.

LOOKOUT LADIES, CABS IS GOING STREAKING

Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in his last 10g, matching a personal season-best (also April 24-May 5). He’s batted .412 (14×34), 6 HR, 11 RBI during the streak. With a hit today, he would match the longest hit streak by a Marlins player this year (Hanley Ramirez, 11g from April 13-24). Cabrera’s career-long is 13g (July 18-Aug. 1, 2005).

Last night was a really fun game to watch. The Marlins face a soft tossing lefty today. This has been one of the biggest problems for Marlin hitters all season long.

BK should take care of the Reds today if he can keep the walks down. He goes to work at 7:05 PM. Tonight is Super Saturday at the stadium. Willy Chirino will be performing after the game.

The Marlins and Reds play the 2nd of a 4g series at Dolphin Stadium. Today marks the 2nd of 7g between the clubs this season. They will play Aug. 24-26 in Cincy. The Fish are 53-68 (26-32 home) all-time against the Reds, including 0-1 (0-1 home) this season.

MANDO MANDO MANDO

The Marlins lost 7-5 to the Reds at Dolphin Stadium. The Reds scored 4 runs in the 8th to overcome a 5-3 deficit en route to the win. After Javier Valentin scored drawing the Reds within 1 run, Ryan Freel hit a 3-run HR off RHP Armando Benitez (L5, BS4), who took the loss. RHP Sergio Mitre made the start and held the Reds to 3 R (2 ER) in 6.0 innings.

STOP, HAMMAH TIME!

Josh Willingham has 61 RBI this season, and 27 have come after the 6th inning. He leads the NL and is tied with Alex Rodriguez for the Major League lead with 27 RBI after the 6th inning.

Tonight should be an interesting one as Scott Olsen makes his return for being a bastard. Olsen makes his way to the mound and makes sure all his buttons are securely fastened at 7:05 PM sharp.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins and Cardinals play the final of a three-game series (1-1), the third of six meetings this season between the clubs. They’ll meet Aug. 21-23 in St. Louis. The Fish are 49-68 (23-34 home) all-time against the Cards. They went 1-6 (0-4 home) against STL last season, and have dropped 7 of the last 9g between the clubs. The Marlins have lost 9 of the last 12g against the Cards in Miami.

THAT KID HANLEY, HE IS PRETTY GOOD YOU KNOW

The Marlins beat the Cardinals 4-0 at Dolphin Stadium. RHP Rick Vanden Hurk (3-2) earned the win, tossing 5.0 scoreless innings (5H, 3 BB, 6 SO). Hanley Ramirez went 2×3 and knocked in 3 of the 4 Marlins’ runs. He had a RBI-double in the third inning and a two-run HR in the fifth frame. Alfredo Amezaga went 2×4 in the game.

CLIMBING JACOBS LADDER

Since snapping an 0×18 stretch with a double on July 6 at Los Angeles-NL, Mike Jacobs has batted .438 (14×32), HR, 2 RBI. He has hit in all eight games over that stretch.

Let’s get it done tonight fellas. I’m going to be honest, Kip Wells sucks bad. Not like falling down and cutting your knee bad but falling off your skateboard and catching your groin on a steel banister bad. Let’s hit him and hit him early and hard.

The Train climbs the mound at 7:00 PM. Domination begins at 7:05.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins and Cardinals play the second of a three-game series (0-1), the second of six meetings this season between the clubs. They’ll meet Aug. 21-23 in St. Louis. The Fish are 48-68 (22-34) all-time against the Cards. They went 1-6 (0-4 home) against STL last season, and have dropped 7 of the last 8g between the clubs. The Marlins have lost 9 of the last 11g against the Cards in Miami.

LAST NIGHT WE WERE ALL LOOPY AND STUFF

The Marlins lost 5-3 to the Cardinals at Dolphin Stadium. RHP Byung-Hyun Kim (4-5) took the loss, allowing 5 ER in 6.0 innings. The bullpen held the Cards scoreless over the final 3.0 innings. Mike Jacobs and Jeremy Hermida each had 2 hits. Miguel Cabrera homered in his third straight game, with a solo homer in the eighth inning.

THE FANTASY AUCTION WAS FULL OF SUCCESS

Last night’s ‘FSN Fantasy Auction’ raised more than $50,000. Eight one-of-a-kind items were auctioned off during FSN Florida’s telecast. All proceeds will benefit the Florida Marlins Community Foundation and its efforts to support baseball, arts and education.

Well I would have said anything less than a sweep this series would be a dissapointment but Looper was on his game last night. As always the Fish struggled against a pitcher they had never seen before. They look to get back on track tonight against Brad Thompson.

Rick Vanden Hurk got the call up today for Wes Obermueller and delivers the first pitch at 7:05 PM EST.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins and Nationals play the final of a three-game series (1-1), the 12th of 18 between the clubs this season. The Fish are 5-6 (3-2 home) this year and 116-104 (60-51 home) all-time against the Nationals/Expos. They are 25-22 (13-10 home) since the Expos became the Nationals in 2005.

LAST NIGHT, NOTHING BUT TRIPLE TROUBLE

The Marlins beat the Nationals 5-2 at Dolphin Stadium RHP Sergio Mitre (4-4) earned his first career win at Dolphin Stadium holding the Nationals to 2 ER in 7.2 innings. RHP Kevin Gregg picked up his 19th save with a perfect ninth inning. Miguel Cabrera, Josh Willingham and Jeremy Hermida homered for Florida. Hermida had a team-high 2 H.

WELCOME TO THE PARTY HAMMAH TIME

Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning last night off LHP Matt Chico. It marked his first home run off a LH pitcher and just his third and fourth RBI against a lefty this season. He hadn’t homered off a lefty since 9/30/06 vs. Philly (LHP Randy Wolf).

Congratulations to Sergio Mitre for notching his first career win at Dolphins stadium. All facets of the game looked good last night. The defense looked solid for the first time in weeks and Sergio and the offense did their usual thing.

The Fish look to take the series today starting at 1:05 PM. Look for temps in the stadium to reach 95+ degrees today.

Scott Olsen says he is ready to go but who really knows what is going on in that kids head. He climbs the mound and looks to shut em down today.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins play the second of a 3g series against the Nationals, part of a 10g homestand vs. the Nationals (0-1), Cardinals (3g) and Reds (4g). Prior to the All-Star Break, the Fish had a 4-3 roadtrip to San Diego (2-2) and Los Angeles-NL (2-1). Their next roadtrip will be a 7-gamer to Arizona (July 23-26) and San Francisco (July 27-29).

D-TRAIN IS DERAILED

The Marlins lost 14-10 to the Nationals at Dolphin Stadium. LHP Dontrelle Willis (7-8) took the loss, allowing 8 R (3 ER) in 3.2 innings. Alfredo Amezaga went 3×4, HR, 4 RBI. Mike Jacobs (RBI) and Josh Willingham (3 RBI) also homered in the game for the Fish.

BATTER THOSE SOUTHPAWS

Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera have been the NL’s top two hitters against left-handed pitchers this season. Ramirez leads the Majors against lefties, hitting 12 points higher than any other player:

Hanley Ramirez, Fla .420 (37×88)
Jose Guillen, Sea .408 (31×76)
Miguel Cabrera, Fla .406 (28×69)
Magglio Ordonez, Det .400 (30×75)

Well last night was rediculous. I am at a loss for words at why Miguel Olivo is starting on this team and Matt Treanor is doing 4th inning interviews with Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton. Our stopper takes the mound today and looks to get some run support for once.

First pitch is at 7:10 PM. Sergio strolls out to the mound around 7ish.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins, looking for their first three-game sweep ever in LA, play the finale of a three-game set in Los Angeles, the final game of a seven-game road trip for the Marlins to San Diego (2-2) and Los Angeles (2-0) to close out the first half. The Marlins were 3-6 on the recent nine game, 10-day homestand against the Twins (1-2), Pirates (1-2), Braves (1-2). Following the All-Star break, the Marlins will play 17 straight games including a 10-game homestand that opens on Friday July 13 vs Washington.

HANLEY IS JUST A LITTLE PISSED OFF YOU DIDN’T VOTE HIM INTO THE ALL STAR GAME SUCKA!

The Marlins beat the Dodgers 7-2 in LA as Sergio Mitre improved to 3-4, lowering his ERA to 2.85 with two runs in 7.0 innings. The Marlins hit two homers in the 4th inning, a solo shot by Miguel Cabrera and a 2 run shot by Josh Willingham to take the lead 3-0. Hanley Ramirez tied a career high with four hits, going 4×4 with two doubles, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Todd Linden added his first career pinch-hit home-run in the 9th.

TODAY WE SEE THE FUTURE

Two players in the Marlins’ organization have been selected to participate in the XM All-Star Futures Game on July 8 (4 pm) at AT&T Park in San Francisco. RHP Rick Vanden Hurk will play on the World Team, and INF Chris Coghlan will play for the U.S. Team.

Last night was fun and didn’t last until 2:30 AM. Hanley Ramirez continues to dazzle since sliding back in the leadoff slot. I actually heard Vin Scully drooling over him last night on MLB.tv. We almost put together a perfect game last night if it wasn’t for that base running disaster in the 7th inning.

First pitch of the last game before the All-Star break comes at 4:10 PM EST from Dodger Stadium. Hanley looks to stay hot.

As always GO FISH!!!

The Marlins and Dodgers play the second game of a three-game set in Los Angeles, the sixth game of a seven-game road trip for the Marlins to San Diego (2-2) and Los Angeles (1-0) to close out the first half. The Marlins were 3-6 on the recent nine-game, 10-day homestand against the Twins (1-2), Pirates (1-2), Braves (1-2). Following the All-Star break, the Marlins will play 17 straight games, including a 10-game homestand that opens on Friday July 13 vs. Washington.

A LATE NIGHT AFFAIR WITH A FISH AFTERPARTY

The Marlins rallied for a 6-5 win in LA vs. the Dodgers. Trailing 5-3 after a five-run Dodgers 5th, Florida scored runs in the 7th, 9th and 10th and held on for the win. Hanley Ramirez was 3×6 with two home runs, including a lead off home run, and three RBI, including a bunt RBI-single in the 10th for the winning run. Miguel Cabrera was 1×3 with an RBI, driving in the tying run in the top of the 9th with a double.

PINTO BEAN IS THE GOOD BEAN

Renyel Pinto, who got his first ML win last night, has allowed one run in his last 10 appearances (11 IP), including no runs in his last seven outings (7.2 IP). In his last 10 games, Pinto has allowed just six hits and three walks, while striking out 10. He has lowered his ERA from 4.80 to 3.73.

Rough one to stay up for last night on the East Coast as the game wrapped up at 2:30 AM. For any of those lucky fans who stayed up they got a treat from Hanley who proved why he deserved a spot in the All-Star Game.

First pitch of game two is at 10:10 PM EST from Dodger Stadium. Derek Lowe looks to induce ground ball out #1 promptly.

Hopefully the boys can make this quick and painless.

As always GO FISH!!!

Today marks the eighth of a nine-game, 10-day homestand against the Twins (1-2), Pirates (1-2), Braves (0-1). The Fish went 3-3 on their last trip to Kansas City (1-2) and Chicago-AL (2-1). They went 2-4 on their last homestand against Tampa Bay (1-2) and Cleveland (1-2). After this homestand, the Fish will start a seven-day trip to San Diego (July 2-5) and Los Angeles-NL (July 6-8), then they will have a four-day All-Star Break from July 9-12.

YESTERDAY’S BLUNDER

The Marlins lost 12-3 to the Braves at Dolphin Stadium RHP Josh Johnson (0-3) took the loss, allowing 2 ER in 4.0 innings. Hanley Ramirez had a team-high 2 H and 2 RBI. Mike Jacobs hit a solo home run off Chuck James, his 4th career (2x in ‘07) HR off a southpaw.

DON’T DROP IT

The Fish need a win today to avoid falling a season-low seven games under .500. They entered today at 37-43 (-6), the third time this season they have been six under: also 5/14 (16-22), 6/27 (36-42).

I’ll be heading out to tonights game hoping to avoid any rain. First pitch is at 7:05 PM.

As always GO FISH!!!