Offense needs some punch
Bolstered rotation won’t help if hitting doesn’t improve
Optimism should be on the rise for the Miami Marlins as they begin a nine-game homestand Tuesday that will culminate with the much-anticipated return of ace pitcher Jose Fernandez.
The outlook has been brightening for a starting staff that has been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness. Top lefty prospect Justin Nicolino on Saturday became the first Marlin to throw seven shutout innings in his major league debut. Rookie Jose Urena, who will start Tuesday against the Cardinals, has been a revelation as a fill-in with a 2.55 ERA in his past four outings.
With others returning soon from injuries, Marlins officials have embraced an impending glut of capable arms as a welcome problem.
But unless those pitchers receive more reliable run support, it won’t alter the fortunes of a team languishing in the standings.
A lineup that set a club record with eight runs in the first inning of a 12-2 rout of the Yankees last week at Marlins Park scored a combined seven runs in four losses of a 1-4 trip that concluded Sunday.
That disappointing foray to
New York and Cincinnati negated the traction gained in the 5-1 homestand that preceded it.
Somehow a lineup with the major league leaders in hits at the top (Dee Gordon) and home runs and RBI in the middle (Giancarlo Stanton) remains one of the least-productive scoring units.
While the team batting average of .257 is middle of the pack (eighth, through Sunday) in the National League, the Marlins’ 271 runs rank 12th of 15 teams.
The problem is that too often they don’t hit when it matters, such as Sunday when they loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning, only to have the next three hitters go down swinging.
The 483 runners the Marlins have left on base are the sixth most in the NL. More telling is their .212 average with two outs and runners in scoring position. The league average in that situation is .238.
Most disappointing has been lack of production by Stanton’s counterparts in what was touted as the best outfield in baseball. After hitting 23 homers with 85 RBI in his first full season in 2014, Marcell Ozuna has only hit four out and driven in 26 so far.
Christian Yelich, who signed a seven-year contract worth nearly $50 million before the season, only recently got his average up to .230. He is striking out once every four at-bats, a high rate for a player expected to hit for average rather than power.
The reality is that when Stanton (4 for 20 on the trip) doesn’t have an impact, the Marlins don’t score much. The exception was Saturday when Derek Dietrich hit two homers in support of Nicolino.
Michael Hill, Marlins president of baseball operations, continues to assert that there is enough talent on the club to contend this season. That may be true if Yelich, Ozuna and other underachievers revert to expected form. For now, only the struggles of the teams above them in the NL East are keeping hope within sight.
The homestand, which will take the season to the virtual midpoint, presents an opportunity for the Marlins to alter their meandering course. They have won nine of their past 11 at Mar- lins Park but will be facing the leaders of the other two NL divisions (Cardinals, Dodgers) plus the Giants, who have the league’s best road record.
It is a chance to begin showing the fortitude to make Fernandez’s return matter.