Marlins’ hitters happily show ‘how dangerous we can be’
BOSTON
It took the Marlins just three atbats to assert their dominance in their series opener against the Boston Red Sox.
With one out and a runner on first base, left fielder Bryan De La Cruz lifted a down-and-in changeup from Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock and pummeled it 395 feet to rightcenter field for a two-run home run.
The dugout erupted. The first of many celebrations began.
“That,” De La Cruz said, “was a spark to start a fire.”
De La Cruz’s teammates followed suit. All told, the Marlins mashed a season-high-tying 19 hits in their 10-1 rout of the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday, a win that moved Miami back to 12 games over .500 at 46-34.
The contributions came from all over the lineup. Seven of nine starting position players had multiple hits. Three had multiple RBI. Three scored multiple runs.
And Tuesday wasn’t just a oncein-a-while blip. This was the 33rd time this season the Marlins have recorded 10 hits. It’s the fourth-most in MLB through games played Tuesday, behind only the Texas Rangers (42), Tampa Bay Rays (36) and Atlanta Braves (36). Miami is 22-11 in those games.
“I’ve never been a part of something like this ever in my life,” said center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who had three hits, three RBI and two runs scored Tuesday in his return to the lineup after missing six weeks with turf toe. “This is my fourth year here and I’m not gonna lie, this is probably the most fun I’ve ever had in the big leagues playing baseball.
“I always try to have as much fun as I can, but this is a different level
of fun with these guys in there. The excitement in the clubhouse, the way everybody wants to be on the field every day, everyone’s coming on the first bus. It’s a lot different.”
The players are rallying around the collective success. Egos are being pushed to the side. No one is actively trying to be the team’s savior when they fall behind in a game nor is anyone scared to step up in a key situation.
And collectively, the Marlins’ lineup is more than holding its own as Miami asserts itself as one of the top teams in the National League.
On the season, the Marlins rank sixth in
MLB with a .263 batting average, 13th with a .323 on-base percentage and 15th with a .722 on-baseplus-slugging mark
In the month of June, those numbers increase to a .274 average, .331 on-base percentage and .736 OPS.
Last year, the Marlins finished the season in the bottom five in all three of those categories (.230 batting average, .294 on-base percentage, .657 OPS).
While the Marlins aren’t bludgeoning opponents with home runs, they are finding ways to knock out opponents hit by hit, blow by blow. The emphasis of the team’s hitting staff, led by coaches Brant Brown, John Mabry and Jason Hart, boils down to putting the ball in play and being aggressive in the strike zone. Results tend to follow.
“When everyone’s healthy, it’s a really damaging lineup,” said third baseman Jean Segura, one of the Marlins’ additions this offseason. “We showed how dangerous we can be if we keep everybody healthy.”
The offense has come to life mostly without the likes of Chisholm and Segura.
Chisholm missed 39 games because of his foot injury, and Miami went 26-13 in that stretch.
Segura has underwhelmed in his first season with Miami, hitting just .195 with a .514 OPS and 12 RBI. But Segura went 2 for 5 on Tuesday with a towering home run over the Green Monster in left field.
Segura, who missed 10 games with a left hamstring strain before returning to the lineup Tuesday, has home runs in two of his last five games played after having none in his first 56 games.
“They’ve had a lot of time off and probably have been watching the team do really well without them and were wanting to be part of this thing,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “The pressure is a little bit off of them too because they don’t have to come back feeling like they have to be the hero. Just be who they are. It’s good enough for us.”
Chisholm concurred with that sentiment.
“It’s a point of just knowing your team and knowing your team has your back,” Chisholm said.
“These guys have your back every at-bat . ... You don’t have to do too much. You’ve just got to keep on moving the baton.”