- Philadelphia (59-44)
- Florida (55-50) 5 Games Back
- Atlanta (53-53) 7.5 Games Back
Wild Card Standings
- Colorado (58-47)
- San Francisco (58-48) .5 Games Back
- *Chicago (56-48) 1.5 Games Back
- St. Louis (58-50) 1.5 Games Back
- Florida (55-50) 3.0 Games Back
- Milwaukee (53-53) 5.5 Games Back
- Houston (53-53) 5.5 Games Back
- Atlanta (53-53) 5.5 Games Back
*Denotes N.L. Central Leader
The Florida Marlins are about to embark on a 19-game stretch that will ultimately decided their playoff fate. They finished the month of July 8-2 and started August 1-1 while wining 4 series in a row.
It begins today with a 3-game series against the Washington Nationals, who are owners of the worst record in the Majors. The Marlins are 9-0 against their division foe this year, mainly in part to three 9th inning comebacks and one 7th inning comeback where they scored 3 runs before the game was delayed and called.
The following 16 games come against teams that are within early contention for the last playoff spot, which include 3 games against Philadelphia, 6 games against Houston, 3 games against Atlanta and 3 games against Colorado.
Hanley Ramirez returns to the line-up after being hit in the knee by a Carlos Zambrano pitch in Saturday's loss.
Nick Johnson faces his former team for the first time, just four days after being traded
Games to Follow
But the standings may face drastic changes by the end of Thursday's games. Four teams in the Wild Card hunt will battle it out for positioning. With the Marlins' track record against Washington (18-2 in the past two seasons), the are a heavy favorite to make the most improvement.
- Colorado vs. Philadelphia - For the second time in as many series, the Phillies find themselves facing the Wild Card leaders - something that is unfavorable to the Marlins. Florida is more likely to make it to the playoffs via the Wild Card, but they want to shoot for their first division title. Fish fans, as much as it pains me to say this, lets go Philadelphia. If the Marlins can close the gap in one race it might as well be the most realistic one: the Wild Card. Philadelphia is 7-1 in their last 8 games against Colorodo. The Marlins travel to Philadelphia on Friday, where they can attempt to make strides toward the division lead.
- San Francisco vs. Houston - This series began on Monday with a Houston win. Two more would be appreciated. The Astros trail the Marlins by 2.5 games, but if the Marlins take care of business like they are supposed to, this will not be a problem. Houston is 9-3 against San Francisco in the last 12 meetings and 5-0 in the last 5 played at Minute Maid Park.
Florida Marlins: The Hunt for October will come to you at the begining of each series as long as the Marlins stay in contention. They will be in the playoffs this year, so we will be keeping you updated with the series recaps and previews until October.
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