Marlins’ bad break
Broken hand sidelines Stanton 4-6 weeks.
MIAMI — There’s just one word for the Marlins season now that Giancarlo Stanton is out with a broken bone in his hand: Depressing. You hate to use that word before July even arrives. And the Marlins tried, bravely and professionally, to face Saturday’s news. You know how it’s done. Stanton missing four to six weeks is, you know, a test for them.
“This is a test — are we fighters or quitters?” manager Dan Jennings said. And it’s an opportunity. “It’s next-man-up mode with him out,’’ reliever Mike Dunn said.
And no one will feel sorry for them.
“No one on the other side is feeling sorry for us,’’ general manager Mike Hill said.
They then scratched and clawed and took advantage of Los Angeles’ misplays for a 3-2 win against the Dodgers. That’s their second win in 10 games. And it’s true, a good team like St. Louis, who just swept the Marlins this past week, can lose a star or even three and survive just fine.
But the Marlins have been a disappointing story all year, and the turn to depressing came with a text message to Jennings at 1:20 a.m. early
Saturday as he sat toying with new lineups.
“Confirmed,’’ it began from team trainer Sean Cunningham, who was with Stanton at the hospital.
Confirmed: The hamate bone in Stanton’s hand is broken and could require surgery.
Confirmed: The best show in baseball is out for July.
Confirmed: This listing Marlins season is sunk.
“Dan, how do you replace Stanton in the lineup,’’ a question came to Jennings before Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.
Jennings is friendly and verbally nimble. But he knows you don’t just pencil someone else in the lineup card. Stanton isn’t just the MVP of the Marlins through June. He’s the MVP of the National League right now.
He leads baseball in homers (27) and runs-batted-in (67) and has propped up an other wise listless offense. Consider his 12 home runs in June to tie a franchise record for any month. The Marlins still were 10-14 with that.
“We have to pick it up, everyone, because there’s a lot of baseball left to play,’’ Jennings said.
Here’s the most depressing part of the Marlins season: It should have worked. It really should have worked.
They got the starting pitching, which was the big question in spring. They lead baseball in defense, which says something of the assembled pieces and doesn’t even compute the beauty of the double play Adeiny Hechavarria and Dee Gordon turned Saturday.
The hitting was the given part of this season. No one questioned it. But with Gordon providing a strong lead-off hitter and Stanton having a monster year, the Marlins are averaging more than half-a-run game less than at this point last year.
They also were 37-38 here last year. They’re 31-45 now.
“Some guys are pressing, trying to change everything with one at-bat, and that leads to more problems,’’ Hill said. “They just need to relax and go out and play like we know they can.”
It’s no secret Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are prime issues. By the end of last year they were drawing notice with Stanton as the best outfield in the game. Ozuna has four home runs — and none at Marlins Park. Yelich had four singles Saturday to raise his average to .238.
It’s not just them. Martin Prado is hurt. Michael Morse is hurt. First baseman Justin Bour, who flashed well for a while, has a .121 batting average for June. And now Stanton is hurt. Last spring, it was pitcher Jose Fernandez who was up for best-in-the-game debate until his elbow ripped apart. He’s set for a return next Thursday. That’s the kind of event that can spark a season. Or could have until Stanton went down.
“The good news today is we didn’t use [Stanton’s loss] as a crutch,’’ Jennings said from the winner’s clubhouse. “It was a big day for us to stand up.”
They stood up. Give them that. But Saturday’s win didn’t override Saturday’s news. And the news on Stanton, man, that turns a disappointing season into a depressing one.