Fish Battle Early for NL East Lead

If a month ago, I would of told you that the Marlins were going to have a crucial three-game series in April, you would have said I was crazy. But that's exactly what the Marlins are staring at when they visit their cross-state rivals in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Florida and Atlanta are tied atop the National League East at 5-1. These are two teams that were receiving no respect (like Rodney Dangerfield) before the start of the season. They are like the disowned godchild in the NL East family as the the Mets and the Phillies get all the attention. Well, Florida just won a series against the Mets and the Braves opened up with a 2-1 series win against the Phillies - both teams swept the Washington Nationals. The records are talking more volumes than hype now.

This series is going to give one team division separation and throw the other into a potential whirlwind. In case you haven't noticed, if history repeats itself, the Marlins should win the World Series this year. Is the six-year pattern be a prophecy or a hoax? 1997, 2003, 2009...? Hey it's never too early to talk October.

The Marlins are sending out Chris Volstad, Andrew Miller, and Anibal Sanchez while the Braves counter with Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami, respectively.

In order to come out on top, our bullpen will need to step up and bring the heat. They have a 5.19 ERA through 17 innings of work. On a positive note, the starters are posting a solid 2.03 ERA.

Cody Ross (.091 BA) and the rest of the bottom half of the batting order need to pick it up as well. The brunt of the offense cannot fall on the shoulders of the top of the batting order always. Let's hope that Emilio Bonafacio continues to surprise the league with his great performances. He has been know to have problems making contact, but obviously he has worked the kinks as he is batting .500.

It may be early, but let's see if the Fish can keep up the magic and prove the doubters wrong. Let's make this a year to remember.