Initial UZR rating out now:

The first UZR rating which rate a player defense have come out on Fangraphs. Here's a look at the initial looks of some of the Marlins players. Fangraphs will update this weekly.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=6878&position=OF#value

Right now fangraphs has him as a 2.4 UZR. That's quite good. However, Coghlan should regress as he has never played this quality of defense in left, which is a tougher position.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9205&position=OF#value

Logan Morrison has been tabbed as a 2.5 UZR thus far. Interesting there. I also see LoMo regressing as he was a -7.2 UZR last season.

Here's a look at Hanley's:

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8001&position=SS#value

Not surprising at all as Hanley has a -2.9 UZR.

Lastly I'll look at Infante:

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8001&position=SS#value

Infante comes in as a 1.3 UZR.

I will have Marlins-Pirates preview up later tonight. First, have to celebrate the Miami Heat victory!!

Philadelphia Phillies-Florida Marlins Preview

 The Marlins are ending a 9-game round trip with a series vs the Phillies. So far the Marlins have gone 4-2 on this road trip and would just need one more win to clinch a winning road trip. Marlins started the road trip by beating the Astros 2 out of 3. Then the Marlins went to Turner Field and took 2 of 3 from the Braves. In the last two games, the Marlins offense has begun to come to life again. With Ramirez and Stanton back in the lineup and Morrison and Sanchez switching spots in the order, the Marlins have scored 11 runs in the past two games after just scoring 1 run in the previous two games.

NL East Standings

Tm	W	L	Win%	GB
PHI	9	3	.750	–
FLA	7	5	.583	2.0
WSN	5	7	.417	4.0
ATL	5	8	.385	4.5
NYM	4	9	.308	5.5

Stadium: Citizens Bank Park
Five-year Run PF*: 1.02
Five-year HR PF*: 1.08
Stadium Dimensions:
Left Field: 334 ft.
Left-Center: 374
Center Field: 401
Right-Center: 369
Right Field: 330

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

Projected Pitching Matchups

April 15th: Javier Vazquez, RHP (1-1, 8.64 ERA) - Roy Oswalt, RHP (2-0, 2.25 ERA)
April 16th:Anibal Sanchez, RHP (0-1, 6.97 ERA) - Cole Hamels, LHP (1-1, 5.59 ERA)
April 17th:Chris Volstad, RHP (0-1, 5.59 ERA) - Joe Blanton, RHP (0-1, 10.45 ERA)

Projected Starting Lineups:

Marlins: 

Chris Coghlan, CF

Omar Infante, 2B

Hanley Ramirez, SS

Mike Stanton, RF

Logan Morrison, LF

Gaby Sanchez

John Buck, C

Donnie Murphy, 3B

Phillies:

Shane Victorino, CF

Placido Polanco, 3B

Jimmy Rollins, SS

Ryan Howard, 1B

Ben Fransisco, RF

Raul Ibanez, LF

Carlos Ruiz, C

Wilson Valdez, 2B

 

Key Positional Matchup: CF

Coghlan vs Victorino

This series is going to be a tough one for the Marlins. They are sending out the bottom three of their order. All of whom which are struggling right now. The Marlins face a tough matchup tonight in Roy Oswalt who's been throwing the ball well in his first two starts. Saturday's matchup is going to be a good one. Anibal Sanchez will look to bounce back after a disappointing start last time out against the Astros with Cole Hamels, who hasn't been steller either, as his counterpart. Sunday's matchup should be a slug fest. Volstad vs Blanton. Neither pitcher is that good and neither has been throwing well. Expect a lot of scoring in that game.

Prediction: The Marlins drop the game on Friday but bounce back to win the final two games in the series to end their first road trip with a 6-3 record.

I will have the Marlins-Braves recap up later tonight or tomorrow. Just wanted to get the series preview up before the series started this time.

Atlanta Braves-Florida Marlins Series Preview

The next 5 games are an early test for the Florida Marlins can contend in  the NL East. The first game was last night and behind an awful performance by Chris Volstad, the Marlins fell to the Braves 5-0. The second game is tonight with Josh Johnson going for the Marlins against Tim Hudson. The Marlins should be able to take 2 of 3 with the pitching matchups, which are previewed later on.

Florida Marlins @ Atlanta Braves (4-6), April 12-14, Games 10-12

NL East Standings

Tm	W	L	Win%	GB
PHI	7	3	.700	–
FLA	5	5	.500	2.0
WSN	5	5	.500	2.0
ATL	5	6	.455	2.5
NYM	4	6	.400	3.0

Stadium: Turner Field
Five-year Run PF*: 0.98
Five-year HR PF*: 0.98
Stadium Dimensions:
Left Field: 335 ft.
Left-Center: 380
Center Field: 401
Right-Center: 390
Right Field: 330

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

Projected Pitching Matchups

April 12: Chris Volstad vs. Tommy Hanson
April 13: Josh Johnson vs. Tim Hudson
April 14: Ricky Nolasco vs. Brandon Beachy

Projected Starting Lineups:

Marlins: 

Chris Coghlan, CF

Omar Infante, 2B

Hanley Ramirez, SS

Mike Stanton, RF

Gaby Sanchez, 1B

Logan Morrison, LF

John Buck, C

Braves:

Martin Prado, LF

Nate McLouth, CF

Chipper Jones, 3B

Brian McCann, C

Dan Uggla, 2B

Jason Heyward, RF

Alex Gonzalez, SS

Freddie Freeman, 1B

 Key Positional Matchup:

2B.

Uggla vs Infante

Hanley Ramirez is back for the Marlins in this series. He and Stanton will play their 3rd game of the season together tonight.

The first games pitching matchup heavily favored the Braves, the rest of the games, the pitching matchups are about as even as possible. JJ and Nolasco hold a slight advantage over their counterparts respectively, but not by much. This series should be an entertaining one and the Marlins after losing the first game need to show that they can beat the Braves and Phillies or we may be in for a long season,

Marlins-Astros Preview/Hanley Injury Update

I am not going to have a recap of this series because sadly, I didn't watch a single game :(. Had work at the time of the games all week. My internet also went out for a couple of days.

But here's the preview for the rest of the Astros-Marlins series. Marlins won the first game 4-3 behind a strong effort of Ricky Nolasco. There will be more about this game in the series recap.

NL East Standings

Tm	W	L	Win%	GB
PHI	5	2	.714	–
FLA	4	3	.571	1.0
ATL	4	4	.500	1.5
WSH	3	4	.429	2.0
NYM	3	4	.429	2.0

Stadium: Minute Maid Park
Five-year Run PF*: 0.98
Five-year HR PF*: 1.04
Stadium Dimensions:
Left Field: 315 ft.
Left-Center: 362
Deep Left-Center: 404
Center Field: 436
Right-Center: 373
Right Field: 326

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

Projected Pitching Matchups

April 8: Ricky Nolasco vs Wandy Rodriguez
April 9: Javier Vazquez vs. Bud Norris
April 10: Anibal Sanchez vs. J.A. Happ

Marlins projected lineup:

Coghlan, CF

Infante, 2B

Stanton RF

Sanchez, 1B

Morrison, LF

Buck, C

Murphy, SS

Bonifacio, 3B

Marlins could very well sweep this series. But this will only happen if the Marlins get a bounce back outing from Javier Vazquez. Nolasco's strong start got the bullpen the rest they needed and they should be ready to go tonight in case of Vazquez's struggles.

The Marlins lost Hanley Ramirez to injury on a routine ground ball double play opportunity. The slide by Bill Hall is questionable. Here's the play in question: Hanley day to day with left leg bruise.   It's very unlikely that Hanley will play for the next couple of days. He will be re-evaluated upon his arrival to the stadium today. Let's hope for the best Marlins fans!

Over at MarlinManiac, Michael will be doing his weekly game chat. If you would like to join, it would be great. I missed the first one last Friday, but I am hoping to join him as well on Sunday at 3pm. Go here to check it out: MarlinsManiac.

Here's also a look at how the Marlins rank against the rest of the league when talking about hitting and pitching after 7 games:

Prediction: Marlins will sweep the series going into two big series early on, with the Braves and Phillies.

 2011 REGULAR SEASON RANKINGS

Hitting:

RUNS 29 (16th Overall)

BATTING AVERAGE .280 (8th Overall)

ON BASE PERCENTAGE: .345 (9th Overall)

SLUGGING PC: .417 (14th Overall)

Pitching:

ERA: 2.69 (5th Overall)

RUNS

2916th Overall

BATTING AVERAGE

.2808th Overall

ON BASE PERCENTAGE

.3459th Overall

SLUGGING PCT

.41714th Overall

QUALITY STARTS: 4 (5th Overall)

WHIP 1.25 (10th Overall)

BAA 233 (7th Overall)

NL East Standings

Tm	W	L	Win%	GB
PHI	3	0	1.000	–
ATL	3	1	.750	.5
NYM	2	1	.667	1.0
WSH	1	2	.333	2.0
FLA	1	2	.333	2.0

Stadium: Sun Life Stadium

Five-year Run PF*: 1.01

Five-year HR PF*: 0.97

Stadium Dimensions:

Left Field: 330 ft.

Left-Center: 361

Center Field: 404

Right-Center: 361

Right Field: 345

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

Projected Pitching Matchups

April 5: Anibal Sanchez vs Jason Marquis
April 6: Chris Volstad vs Livan Hernandez
April 7: Josh Johnson vs John Lannan

Marlins projected lineup:

Coghlan, CF

Infante, 2B

Ramirez, SS

Stanton, RF *

Sanchez, 1B

Morrison, LF

Buck, C

Murphy, 3B *

*Indicates player may miss game due to injury.

Marlins have the clear pitching advantages on paper. The lineups are about even IMO. Marlins defense is the wild card. If the Marlins defend well, they are clearly a better team then the Nationals. If not, they are about even. The bullpen still needs to settle down and niche their own roles.

My prediction: Marlins sweep the series and get back on track.

Marlins-Mets Recap

Sorry I didn't have time to post a preview or post much over the past 10 days. Been busy with school and work lately. I will have daily recaps of games and series. This post is going to recap the Opening Weekend of 2011 for the Florida Marlins.

Friday:

• The Marlins honored Mike Lowell with a video before the game. He then pitched the ceremonial first pitch. It was an amazing thing to watch as a longtime Marlins fan. Lowell has meant so much to this franchise.
• Josh Johnson started the season on fire. In his first 6 innings, he didn't allow a single hit. He looked to be in mid-season form. He gave up his first hit to Willie Harris to lead off the 6th. JJ didn't make it out of the 7th inning. He allowed 2 runs in 6 2/3.
• Mike Stanton had another minor injury. After pulling his quad early on in spring, Stanton hurt his hamstring and didn't play the rest of the series. He should return to the lineup Tuesday vs the Nationals.
• Mike Dunn made his Marlins debut in relief of Josh Johnson and looked good striking out the only batter he faced. Clay Hensley followed that with an impressive 1-2-3 inning, picking it up where he left off last season. Leo Nunez pitched the 9th.
• Probably the most memorable part of Opening Day however, belonged to Logan Morrison. Morrison hit a solo homerun to right and as he crossed home plate, pointed to his mother and then saluted to the sky, in honor of his father.

Saturday:

• Ricky Nolasco started the Marlins in the right direction by having a nine pitch inning in the first. He then was effective throughout the night. He finished the game beating JJ's 6 2/3's by going 7 strong allowing 2 runs. He was hit pretty hard but his defense was there to make some good plays.
• Chris Coghlan finally got his first real test in center field. The first play, Coghlan looked really awkward. However, he used his speed and athletic ability to make the play. On the second play, the ball was hit to shallow center, Coghlan got a great jump on it and made a diving catch. Jury is still out on how he'll play in center though.
• Emilio Bonifacio showed his worth to the Florida Marlins in this game. He had a key hit in the 9th that allowed the Marlins to tie the game at 4. Bonerface started the game in Right, moved to third when Murphy got hurt, and then later moved to center. He tied the Marlins record for most positions played in a game.
• Leo Nunez and Ryan Webb did their best to ensure a Marlins loss. Leo walked the leadoff man on 4-pitches and that run later came on to score. That gave the Mets a 3-2 lead going into the bottom half of the ninth. Gregg Dobbs tied the game up with a clutch base hit off of K-Rod none the less.
• In the 10th, Ryan Webb came in and wasn't effective at all. He was charged with all 3 runs, giving the Mets a 6-3 lead. The Marlins proved to be resilient again scoring one run in the 10th and putting pressure on the Mets before the Mets ended the game and won 6-4.
• The Marlins offense was anemic on this night. The team had most of their hits in the first, ninth, and tenth. Between the second and the eight, they were held to just one base hit
• Donnie Murphy was hit by a pitch on his right wrist, the same wrist he dislocated last season and needed surgery on. Luckily, Murphy's injury wasn't serious and he's expected to play Tuesday.
• The game featured an interesting moment featuring Scott Cousins. I won't go too much into this, I'll just give you guys the article written by Marlin Maniac Michael Jhong which is a good overview the whole event.  http://marlinmaniac.com/2011/04/04/the-cousins-decision-and-the-vazquez-start/

Sunday:

• Javier Vazquez looked horrendous. And that's probably the nice way to put it. He labored through 2 1/3 innings giving up 7 runs, with 5 being earned. While his fastball seemed to have gained back most of the command that it had lost in New York, his fastball didn't seem to have much life. He walked four hitters unintentionally. Vazquez also left pitched over the plate the entire game. The game truthfully seemed over after the first two batter. Reyes led the game off with a double and then Willie Harris hit a 2-run shot.
• Marlins defense was atrocious. Hanley, Bonifacio, and Choate all made key errors. The errors led to big innings from the Mets.
• The Florida Marlins injury streak was extended to 3. Edward Mujica apparently hurt his knee in the game. He is expected to be okay and pitch if needed on Tuesday.
• Brian Sanches went 4 scoreless and hitless innings. A very impressive outing for him.

Player of the series:Gaby Sanchez (6-14 with 2 doubles and an RBI)

Goat of the series: Javier Vazquez (7 runs in 1 2/3 innings.)

Marlins Roster Coming Together?

Starting Lineup (playing together for the 1st time all season)
Chris Coghlan, CF

Omar Infante, 2B

Hanley Ramirez, SS

Mike Stanton, RF

Gaby Sanchez, 1B

Logan Morrison, LF

John Buck, C

Donnie Murphy, 3B

Josh Johnson, P

JUPITER, Fla. — Aside from Chris Volstad, the Marlins lineup on Saturday could be what takes the field on Opening Night against the Mets.

Against the Cardinals on Saturday, Donnie Murphy is batting eighth and playing third base. For the first time, all three outfielders are in the same lineup — Chris Coghlan in center, Logan Morrison in left and Mike Stanton in right.

The biggest change for the opener, of course, will be Josh Johnson, who will be the Opening Night starter on April 1.

Worth noting from Edwin’s morning meeting with the media:

* A decision on who starts at third base could be made by Monday. As of now, it appears Murphy will start, and Emilio Bonifacio will be in a utility role.

* The rotation, as expected, will be Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Javier Vazquez, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad. Rodriguez said he could have flip-flopped Sanchez and Vazquez, but gave the nod to Vazquez because of his overall experience.

* While Edwin didn’t flat out announce the bench, signs point to it being Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs (lefty bat), Dewayne Wise, Bonifacio and Brett Hayes.

* In recent days, a number of relievers have thrown in Minor League games to get stretched out. Lefty Randy Choate threw a full inning on a back field, and needed just seven pitches.

Joe Frisaro:The Fish Pond


So this is what the Marlins 25-man roster will potentially look like come opening day:

Starting Pitchers:
Josh Johnson
Ricky Nolasco
Javier Vazquez
Anibal Sanchez
Chris Volstad

Long-relief:
Burke Badenhop
Edward Mujica

LHP Specialist:
Randy Choate

Sixth-Seventh Inning:
Ryan Webb
Mike Dunn

Set-Up:
Clay Hensley

Closer:
Leo Nunez

Catchers:
John Buck
Brett Hayes

First Base:
Gaby Sanchez
Wes Helms
 
Second Base:
Omar Infante

Shortstop:
Hanley Ramirez

Third Base:
Donnie Murphy
Gregg Dobbs
Emilio Bonifacio

Left Field:
Logan Morrison

Center Field:
Chris Coghlan
Dewayne Wise

Right Field:
Mike Stanton

Some variables still in play are that Brian Sanches is out of options and would not be likely to clear waivers, so he's a trade option and with more teams making cuts in the coming days, Marlins maybe able to find another 3B option through waivers, trades, or free agent signing.