Marlins Back on Track

The Marlins put a horrible month of May, in which they went 9-20, behind them and rallied back to place themselves in position to take the division lead just one week before the All-Star break.

Florida finished the month of June 17-11 and are 1.5 games behind divison leader Philadelphia. The surge can be attributed to major contributions from four players.

P Ricky Nolasco - Ricky was supposed to be our ace this year after a strong performance last year, but he struggled at the start of the season. He wasn't able to drop his change-up and his curve lacked movement. He was 2-5 with a 9.07 ERA before being sent down to AAA Las Vegas. This has been the smartest move Fredi Gonzalez has done all year. Ricky made his return on June 7 and has been nothing short of stellar.

June Stats - 3-1, 1.91 ERA, 33 SO, 5 BB, 0.97 WHIP

Total Stats - 5-6, 5.99 ERA, 70 SO, 18 BB, 1.45 WHIP

P Josh Johnson - Josh picked up right where he left off last year when he returned from Tommy John surgery. He is having a Cy Young caliber year and is on the brink of making his first All-Star team. The Marlins are 12-4 in games that Johnson starts. If the Marlins are going to go deep they will need Johnson to stay sharp.

June Stats - 3-0, 2.95 ERA, 30 SO, 10 BB, 1.06 WHIP

Total Stats - 7-1, 2.76 ERA, 94 SO, 28 BB, 1.08 WHIP

SS Hanley Ramirez - Last year Ramirez hit .239 with runners in scoring position. This led people to believe that he couldn't get the big hit when his team needed it. This year, Fredi dropped him to 3rd in the batting order and now he leads the Majors with a .441 average in the same situation. He is living up to his expectations and has even improved defensively. Hanley leads National League shorts stops in the All-Star voting, but needs help to keep it. Voting closes on July 2nd at 11:59 pm est.

June Stats - .356 AVG, 29 RBI, 4 HR, 18 R, 14 SO

Total Stats - .339 AVG, 52 RBI, 12 HR, 48 R, 46 SO

CF Cody Ross - Cody started off the season slow, as usual, but is now on pace to set career highs in hits, doubles, home runs, and RBIs. He has gone from a streaky to consistent on offense and is doing it at number seven in the batting order. He has been outstanding playing center field, as it seems like every night he is on ESPN's top 10 web gems.

June Stats - .309 AVG, 18 RBI, 6 HR, 13 R, 20 SO

Total Stats - .273 AVG, 46 RBI, 13 HR, 38 R, 55 SO