Marlins Homestand Preview

May 24, 2010

The upcoming ten-game homestand for the Florida Marlins may seem like a blessing for the the inconsistent Fish, but just a glance at the opponents reveals otherwise. Beginning tomorrow, the Marlins will face the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively, in a non-stop homestand. Standing in third behind the Braves and Phillies, the Marlins will seek to elevate their position in the upcoming days.

Here are the current standings:

1. Philadelphia Phillies (26-17)
2. Atlanta Braves (23-21)
3. Florida Marlins (23-22)
4. Washington Nationals (23-22)
5. New York Mets (22-23)

Clearly the N.L. East is much tighter than expected as the top and bottom spots are only separated by four games thus far. The Marlins have an opportunity to either capitalize on positioning or squander their division standing in the next week and a half of baseball. With the Hanley Ramirez dilemma in the past now, the team must bring a collective effort to the next three series if they hope to improve.

Rapid-fire Notes:

• Dan Uggla is entering the homestand hitting six homeruns in the last ten games, coupled with 12 RBIs in the process.

• Look out for Josh Johnson to continue his dominant ways as he has a season ERA of 2.43 with a record of 5-1. He has given up only one run in the last three starts.

• Hanley Ramirez has been sporadic with his hitting as of late, but still has time to return to his batting championship form. Despite the volatile performances, Ramirez has a .299 batting average for the season.

• The month of May has been a roller coaster for Ricky Nolasco as he is 2-2 in four starts with 14 runs allowed in that stretch, eight of which came last start against the Chicago White Sox. Inconsistency may still be present in his next few starts.

• Ronny Paulino has been the Fish's secret weapon against lefty pitchers as he posts a .348 batting average, .375 on base percentage and .543 slugging percentage against left-handers. This can come in handy in the Phillies series when the Marlins face Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels.