Afternoon Game Today!

(Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)

YAY-CAP: Fish stomp on the Phillies 15-2. Nats win too.

Trading, Rumor Deadline Today

The Miami Herald reports the Fish "have looked into acquiring a center fielder but couldn't find a match they liked"; the Palm Beach Post says "if the Marlins had any thoughts of becoming a buyer, Sunday's split-doubleheader loss took care of that." ; the Sun-Sentinel says the Marlins are making inquiries about Soriano; Fox Sports has the Marlins "trying to broker a deal for Soriano with the idea of flipping him to the Tigers in a three-way deal."

THE RESULT: All rumors, no trades. (PalmBeachPost)

So Far in the Phillies Series...

...by my count, in the past 4 games the Phillies have outscored the Marlins 33-14 while having only 6 more hits (36-30) and an equal amount of errors (3). Differences?: The Phillies had 5 more of those hits going for home runs (10-5), their batters have walked 22 times to the Marlins' 14, and the Marlins' pitchers have hit 3 batsmen to boot.

No Black Isotopes

"Thirty years ago, more than 27 percent of major league lineups were black. Today, the population has dropped to about 8 percent, according to a recent USA Today story. In the NCAA, the percentage of blacks is about 6 percent." (AbqTrib.com)

Double-Header Time

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DOUBLE-DOO-DOO-TIME: Marlins get demolished twice by the Abreu-and-Lidle-less Phillies. Mets sweep the Braves at Atlanta, Nats lose.

Willis vs. Hamels Tonight

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BLECH-CAP: Marlins gets trounced by Phillies. Mets whup Atlanta. Nats lose.

Hurdles Being Cleared for Hialeah Stadium

Since a deal to build a water plant has been made, the stadium land will be approved for development, although the town of Miami Lakes has objections. (MarlinsBallparkNews)

Marlins: Buyers or Sellers (or Neither)?

'This weekend's series against the Philadelphia Phillies could be the most important of the season for the Marlins - and for reasons only partly related to the standings.

'The team's three highest-ranking baseball officials - General Manager Larry Beinfest, assistant GM Michael Hill and Dan Jennings, the vice president of player development - all will be ready to make a deal. Only they might have to wait until Sunday to determine if they're buyers or sellers.

'If the Marlins, who began the weekend six games back in the National League wild-card race, win three of the first four games here, they could be inspired to make a deal before Monday's 1 p.m. nonwaiver trade deadline to bring in an outfielder or some help for the bullpen. But if they stumble, they could be persuaded to deal closer Joe Borowski or utilityman Wes Helms, both of whom have received a lot of interest from other teams.' (AZCentral)

MORE: Matt Birnbach takes a look at the possibilities for Helms, Borowski, and Herges. (MarlinsToday)

Time for Five With The Phillies

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RECAP: Fish avoid sweep. Ricky almost no-hits the Phillies - ultimate final score has Marlins winning 4-1. Mets beat Braves, Nats get trounced by Dodgers.

Marlins to be Featured on TWIB

(Saturday at 12:30 ET on Fox.) (MLB)

You Tell 'Em, Matt

"People talk about stadium issues, people talk about not coming to the games, the product on the field is garbage. That's hogwash to me...I get really upset, and I get emotional. Everybody thinks that [management is] putting this team together just to save some money. But we don't care about any of that.

"We're not here to think about a $15 million payroll. I think of myself as fortunate to make the money I do. There's not one guy in this clubhouse who wants to come in here and just roll over. I get really upset when I hear people talk about, `It's a young club; we can't do this and that.' Well, if you can't succeed at this level, then you shouldn't be here in the first place." (MiamiHerald)

Olsen vs. Shiell Today

Let's hope Scott can get fired up today. Here's the games...

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SERIES-WINNING-CAP: Olsen and the Fish whup the Braves 6-1. Nationals and Phillies win also.

Charles Elmore Wants A-Rod to be a Marlin

(PalmBeachPost)

Tough Loss

"(T)he homer was not only the first Tankersley (1-1) has allowed in his brief big-league career but also the first he has allowed at any level, majors or minors, in 45 games this season....(T)he Braves' home run-powered comeback not only cost the Marlins a win, but a chance to vault over the Braves into second place in the National League East as well as a chance to jump ahead of four teams into fourth place in the wild-card race." (MiamiHerald)

Mets Folk Whining For Willis!!!

Read the Column!!! Check out the Comments!!! (MetsBlog)

Wednesday's Games

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UGGGH-CAP: Fish lose 6-5. Braves, Mets, Phillies, Nats all win.

Big Moe Returning

(SunSentinel)

Sanchez and Ross Get The Job Done Again

No matter that Anibals' wife gets nervous watching him pitch. (MiamiHerald)

Fish Start Series at Atlanta Tonight

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WHEE-CAP: Anibal and the Marlins beat the Braves 2-1. Nats win, too. Mets and Phillies lose.

Some Information on Information

Scott Olsen: "I don't think there's ever too much information, but it can get to be too much if you're constantly thinking about it." (SunSentinel)

Reggie's Rough Road

"Every day, you're like, `Wow, I never thought it would be like this'...The struggles that I've had, I feel it all the time. It's been a struggle, but struggles are a part of the game." (MiamiHerald)

Anibal On Downward Plane

His fastball, that is. (ALSO: It's pronounced "Ah-KNEE-bull".) (Covers.com)

'Faith Day' after Thursday's Game

(TheWorldIMHO)

MORE: Supposedly it's a first for the majors. (BreatheCast)

Marlins are Dangerous!

(CNN)

Fish Have Travel Day Today

But the Braves are at Philly, and the Mets are at home against the Cubs.

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RECAP: Cubs beat the Mets, Braves beat the Phillies. (Fish slip into third place.)

Any More Trades, Larry?

'(W)e're happy with the ballclub, the way it's come together and played and matured, and really been competitive from day one...This deadline is no different in that our job is to be on the phone, find out what's happening in the marketplace and find out what opportunities are there.

'Are we adding? We're seven games under .500 and have a bunch of teams in front of us. We'll see how things go.' (SunSentinel)

Mike Berardino on Dontrelle

'He could have moaned his way off a sinking ship. Could have complained after the Marlins traded off his best friend, Juan Pierre, and nearly everybody else from last year's team. Could have wondered what he was still doing here when he's making more than a quarter of the entire payroll.

'Instead, Willis has shown what leadership skills truly mean in a baseball setting.' (SunSentinel)

Another Out-Of-Town Weekend For Me

So here's Saturday's Games
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...and Sunday's Games
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DOUBLE-CAP: Fish win both games, but so do the Nationals. Mets split with Astros. Braves beat Phillies in their only game this weekend.

Today's 'Puerto Rico Day' at the Stadium

Clemente will be honored (even though his connections to Miami are more tragic than not). (MiamiHerald)

Game Two 2-Night

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RECAP: Fish beat Pittsburgh 4-1. Mets, Phillies, Nats win; Braves lose.

"Legitimate" Rumor - Cardinals Attemping Dontrelle Trade

(MLBTradeRumors)

MORE: Here's a dissection-deconstruction of the Rumor. (Scout.com)

Pirates Bloggers' Recaps

(TheParrot)(WhereHaveYouGoneAndyVanSlyke)

Yarrrrr!

The Pirates come closer to the Caribbean, and start a four-gamer with the Fish tonight. Here's the info...

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ARRRGH-CAP: Marlins lose 5-3. Mets win.

"The Busiest Ballpark In America"

"Keeping Roger Dean Stadium in top condition is a difficult job. The spring training home of the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals is the only facility that also hosts two full-season minor-league clubs, the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals.

"Starting with spring training, Roger Dean Stadium hosts 171 professional baseball games in 188 days. Nearly 1,000 additional games are played on the 12 back fields." (PalmBeachPost)

Rubber Game Today

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YAY-CAP: Nats get Anibalized, lose to the Marlins 1-0. Phillies win, Mets and Braves lose.

Hialeah Stadium Planners Finally Concerned About the Real Problem

"(T)he city of Hialeah has committed 30 acres to the project, but another 40 to 50 acres is needed to provide sufficient parking." (SunSentinel)

O'Connor vs. Willis Tonight

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DAMN-CAP: Marlins give up a 5-1 lead, lose to the Nats, and Hanley now has a sore right knee. Mets and Braves win, Phillies lose.

Notorious Windups Past and Present

Discussions of guys like Tiant, Nomo, and even Dontrelle: "I've always thrown that way...I have big hips - I don't know if they're strong - but they maybe help me do it the way I do. It just feels natural to me." (DenverPost)

Ricky Thinks Better, Throws Better, Hits Better

(MiamiHerald)

Back

Let's just say that vacation was a multi-layered experience and leave it at that. Now, let's see what happened Marlins-wise this past week...well, the Fish go 2-2 against the Astros, with some highs (Anibal beating Clemens, 4 homers in yesterday's game) and lows (worst home loss in history). And Yusmiero gets sent back down, while Resop is recalled.

The Fish are firmly in fourth, 2 game behind the Braves and Phillies and 2.5 games ahead of the Nats. Starting tonight the Marlins face those Nationals for 3 games.

And sorry, but that's all I have time for now. If you'll excuse me, I have to go scrape out my rental car. Here's today's games...

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YIPPIE: Fish beat Nats 4-2. Braves win, Phillies lose.

Post No. 1300

(trying to shake some of the ominousness out.)

The immediate future for the club looks good, since they're trying to beat each other up again, and that's always a good sign. So now the All-Star break is upon us. Coincidentally my vacation is starting now too. So I'll be on hiatus until about the end of the week, unless I find a reason and a way to sneak back in. As always, for the latest stuff, check the list of links on this page. And just to be on the ready here are...

Thrusday's games (Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)...

Friday's games (Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)...

Saturday's games (Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)...

and Sunday's games (Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI).

See ya!

Olsen vs. Glavine Today

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SHOULDA-WOULDA-COULDA-CAP: Losta 'what if's' lead to a 7-6 loss to the Mets. Again, Braves and Phillies win, and the Nats lose.

Mets Broke a Couple of Streaks Last Night

'(W)hy shouldn't Pelfrey have won? The Mets scored 17 runs for him! Get a load of this one: That's the most runs scored by a National League team in a game in which its starting pitcher won making his major-league debut -- are you still with us? -- in more than 100 years. Back on June 23, 1897, Jack Powell made his big-league debut for the Cleveland Spiders, who won 18-1 over Louisville. (Yes, those teams were then in the National League.)

'We're just getting warmed up: The Mets' total of 17 runs was the highest by one team in any of the 3,538 regular-season major-league games that have been played at Shea Stadium! And that's an all-time record: That's by far the longest streak of games played at any stadium in major-league history -- whether from the opening of the building or at any time during its life -- without a game in which one team scored 17-or-more runs!

'Jose Valentin supported Pelfrey with a grand slam in the first inning and a three-run triple in the second. He became the first player in the Mets' 45-year history to connect for a bases-loaded triple and a bases-loaded home run in the same game.' (ESPN)

Kensing and Johnson Continue Their Rise to Stardom

'"People who know us probably think it's funnier than it actually is," Kensing said. "People who don't know us probably think we're idiots. Hopefully we didn't offend anybody."'(PalmBeachPost)

Double The Fun Today?

The Mets attempt to duplicate the Marlins' M. O., as they place 2 fresh-from-the-minors rookies on the mound to fling at the Fish.

Here we go...

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FIRST-GAME: Hanley hits the go-ahead homer, dives for the winning out, and gets knocked in the head by Willingham along the way.

SECOND-GAME: Fish get trashed 17-3, and Willingham still runs into Olivo.

AND-THE-REST: Braves and Phillies win, Nats lose.

More Fun Facts From Last Night's Game

'It was Willis' fourth career homer, and first this season, and the first grand slam hit by the Marlins this season. Florida, which has scored 32 runs in the past three games, won for the second time in seven tries and snapped the Mets' three-game winning streak.' (Yahoo)

'Willis picked up his fifth win in six decisions after tossing 7 1/3 innings. He's now 9-2 against the Mets, including a 4-0 mark in New York.' (SunSentinel)

'The last pitcher to hit a grand slam prior to Willis was the Phillies' Robert Person on June 2, 2002, off the Expos' Bruce Chen. The Marlins had one other pitcher in the club's history do so, which occurred on May 29, 1995, off the bat of Chris Hammond at Houston.' (MLB)

'The Marlins became the first team since the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers to score six or more runs in an inning in three consecutive games.'

...and this note of speculative encouragement from Clark Spencer...

'All indications are the Marlins have no plans to deal Willis before the July 31 trade deadline.' (MiamiHerald)

D-Train Ready For Some More Smackdown Tonight?

"Willis has hit 13 batters in 116 innings this season, the most in the majors." (PalmBeachPost)

...Here's the boards...

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NO SMACK, BUT DONTRELLE DOES THE GRAND SLAM!: Fish win! The rest of the NL East loses! Perfect evening!

Mr. Girardi Believes That The Team Gave Off an Offensive Odor Last Night

"We stunk," sayeth he... "When you walk people, your defense gets sloppy. I don't know why but it's a proven fact. I'd rather get beat 18-0 with no walks." (PalmBeachPost)

And in the one moment in the game when Joe wouldn't have minded a walk...

'...Girardi walked to the mound to advise Vargas.

'He told the pitcher to be careful.

'"I told him you've got an open base, try to get him Zimmerman to chase something," Girardi said.

'Instead, Vargas delivered his 3-1 pitch to Zimmerman across the middle of the plate, and the ball was batted into center to end the game.' (MercuryNews)

Looking For Splitsville

(Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)

FINDING SPUTTER-VILLE: Marlins lose the first game of the season's 2nd half to the Nats 8-7. Mets and Braves win, Phillies lose.

Borowski Grabbing Those Incentives

MEANWHILE: Uggla's sleeves were too big,... and our famous milk-drinking batboy now works for the Nats.(PalmBeachPost)

2nd Highest-Scoring Game in Fish History

Fish had 19 hits; 2 guys had a chance to hit for the cycle; Pinto gets first save, then gets sent back to AAA (Jason Vargas returns to the big club). (MiamiHerald)

MORE: "With his win Wednesday night, Yumeiro Petit joined Howie Koplitz (Tigers, 1961) as the only two pitchers in the last 75 years to win their first Major League start after giving up four or more runs in the first inning." (MLB)

Fish a Half-Game out of 4th Place...

...and one game away from fifth. Will the 4-game slide continue?

(Yahoo)(ESPN)(Sportsline)(MLB)(FOX)(CNNSI)

NOPE-CAP: Fish slap the Nats, 18-9. Mets and Braves win, Phillies lost.

In a State of Specialty Auto License Tags, How Does The Marlins Tag Rate?

Among the 12 sports-oriented tags that are available to be put on Florida cars, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the most, with 75,509 of them out there (the Dolphins are second at 63,727). The Marlins tag is third from the bottom of the list with 8,698, ahead of the Devil Rays (5,065) and the 'Support Soccer' tag (1,814). (NaplesNews)

Scouts Scrutinize The Marlins Roster

(MiamiHerald)

Independance Day Games

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UGH-CAP: Nats beat Fish on Zimmerman's 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th. Mets and Phillies win, Braves lose.

Yusmeiro Starts Wednesday

(MiamiHerald)

MORE: Resop pointed towards Albuquerque. (MaverickBall)

Josh and Dan NL Co-Rookies of the Month

(FishStripes)

Back to D. C.

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WAKEFIELD EFFECT CONTINUES: Fish get pummeled by the Nats 9-1. Mets get more pummeled 11-1; Braves win. Phillies didn't play.

411 on the Hialeah Ballpark Situation

The lack of adequate supplies of drinking water cited by the state's DCA not only stalls the stadium plans, but keeps the land's erstwhile-owner, Mr. Codina, from acquiring a huge chunk of change (surprise!). (MSNBC)

'Banged-Up Marlins'

'Right-hander Brian Moehler will undergo an MRI on his sore right foot today...(Marlins) had to sit outfielder Cody Ross (groin) and utilityman Alfredo Amezaga (knee) with injuries Sunday. Florida also has been playing first baseman Mike Jacobs (ankle) and Abercrombie (thumb) despite their injuries...(and) also have pitchers Sergio Mitre, Moehler and Carlos Martinez on the disabled list.'

MEANWHILE: Who's pitching Wednesday? (MiamiHerald)

Miguel Cabrera and Dan Uggla All-Stars!

'"I'm elated. If I could do cartwheels through the clubhouse, I would do that," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said of Uggla's selection. "He deserves to go. It's because of his hard work. I'm so happy for him."...

'"You're going to have a hard time convincing me any third baseman has any better numbers than (Cabrera) does. I had no doubt he was going to make the club," Girardi said. "The question was Danny. They looked at Danny's numbers and I think they made the right choice."' (TheLedger.com)

Rubber Game

Will the Marlins' tangle with the brutal Wakefield send the team "into a tailspin for two or three days", as Girardi feared? Stay tuned...

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MAYBE-CAP: Granted a 4-3 score doesn't look like a 'tailspin', but the Fish still lose to the Red Sox, and are back in third place after today's Phillies victory. Braves and Nats win, too.

Fish and Their Few Fans Having Fun

Steve Silver checks out the Marlins clubhouse, their manager, and what keeps the fans away. He also gives this little bit of info that I didn't know about...

"Playing in Dolphin Stadium, the Marlins receive a minimal revenue stream from concessions, parking and advertising because the stadium is controlled by the Miami Dolphins' owners as a result of a deal struck with the late Joe Robbie."

Looking beyond the fact that the living Joe Robbie was already the Dolphins' owner, I thought it was a neat trick that the late Joe Robbie is still making deals. Maybe I'll attempt one myself, although I don't know how soon he'll return my phone calls. (WashingtonTimes)

Big Moe Hurt His Toe, The Pinto Gets Recalled

(FishStripes)

The Knuckleball Returns to South Florida...

...Plus the other games.

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THE MIGHTY KNUCKLER (with a little help from Manny and David) DEFEATS THE FISH: Wakefield gets 150th win, Manny hits no. 2000 over the fence, Sox streak of 17 errorless games stops. Mets and Nats win, Phillies and Braves lose.

Helms is "3 for 9 With a Double and a Homer" off of Wakefield

'"The approach I used is I just played pepper with him," said Helms, who last faced Wakefield as a member of the Brewers in 2003. "I looked for a ball up because usually the balls up come in the strike zone. You have to go up there your first at-bat and see how it's moving because some nights it doesn't move as good as others...

'"You have to take what you get,...If it's two singles, it's two singles. Your bat will generate the power. You can't try to drive the ball off them because if you overswing you're hurting yourself."'

ALSO: Uggla's back, Cody's in center, and Ortiz's in the lineup. (SunSentinel)

Fans Remember Former Fish

'Lowell got a 30-second standing ovation before his first at-bat, and even Florida starter Dontrelle Willis stepped off the mound and joined in the applause. (Alex) Gonzalez received a similar greeting from fans on his first trip to the plate in the Red Sox gray road uniform.

'"It was as nice an ovation as I've ever gotten," Lowell said. "I felt overwhelmed. I was humbled and appreciative. I'm glad Alex received the same type of ovation. I hope they can show some highlights of Josh Beckett and bring him out, too."' (SI.com)