July 17, 200323 yr It's good... :thumbup From the ashes, Marlins rise up MIAMI -- When Jack McKeon replaced Jeff Torborg as manager on May 11, the Marlins were six games under .500 with their season tinkering on the brink of destruction. Starters A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett and Mark Redman were on the disabled list and there was little reason for optimism. As difficult as it was for Marlins general manager Admin Beinfest to make the change, he felt the team was underachieving and desperately needed a boost. Interestingly, the Marlins found renewed energy from a 72-year-old who last managed in 2000 with the Reds. McKeon's first creed to his players: relax and have fun. After dropping six straight games in May, all on the road, the Marlins rebounded from 10 games under to the break-even point. With half a season to go, they haven't thrown in the towel, hoping for a Wild Card bid. MARLINS MIDTERM LINKS ? MLB 2003 midterm exam Despite having to make up a lot of ground, the Marlins have several reasons for optimism. Third baseman Mike Lowell is having a monster year, ranking among the league leaders in home runs (28) and RBIs (76). Rookie pitcher Dontrelle Willis has captured the attention of the league, posting an 9-1 (2.08) record in 11 starts. Pitching is key, and the Marlins have had a strong first half from Redman. With Beckett back and fresh, the team feels it can overcome the loss of Burnett (Tommy John surgery) for the season. Club MVP: Mr. Clutch, Mike Lowell, is emerging as a superstar. Previously a perennial 20-home-run, 100-RBI type player, Lowell is posting unprecedented power. Now that the Marlins say he will not be traded this season, he can focus on being a 40-home-run, 120-RBI player. Call him 'Ace': Ready for the crown or not, Willis has become the class of the staff. The 21-year-old left-hander started the year in Double-A, but has made a meteoric rise. Greatest strength: Defensively, the Marlins are as good as it gets in either league. The infield is especially strong, starting with Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez is reaching another level. And Derrek Lee gobbles up everything at first with his giant wingspan. Biggest challenge: Remaining in contention with a patchwork bullpen. The injury to Tim Spooneybarger has created a void for a right-handed setup reliever. Lefty Tommy Phelps bolsters the bullpen. Closer Braden Looper has held up thus far, sometimes having to work two innings because of setup question marks. Biggest surprise: Despite a recent slump, Gonzalez's hitting has been a bonus the Marlins never expected. Last season was cut short for Gonzalez because of a separated left shoulder. Now healthy, he has provided power (12 homers, 53 RBIs) and clutch hits. From the scrapbook: Bouncing back from a humiliating 25-8 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 27, the Marlins rallied the next day from seven runs down in the eighth to pull out a 10-9 win on Lowell's three-run homer with two outs and two strikes in the ninth. The win marked the best comeback in franchise history. He said it: "When you win, it's contagious. It's fun. When I came here, I said winning is fun and fun is winning. That's what it all amounts to." -- McKeon Oh, doctor: The injury bug bit early: RHP A.J. Burnett: right elbow tear (Tommy John surgery) RHP Josh Beckett: right elbow sprain (seven weeks on DL, back now) LHP Mark Redman: missed all of May with a broken left thumb RHP Tim Spooneybarger: Still on DL with right elbow sprain Team needs: A setup reliever, preferably a right-hander, to step up until Spooneybarger returns. A little more offensive punch, especially from the left side of the plate. Todd Hollandsworth didn't fill the lefty power void. Mark your calendar: After the All-Star Break, the Marlins are home for 14 of their next 16. They have a key home stretch with the Cubs (July 18-20), Expos (July 21-22), Phillies (July 25-27) and Diamondbacks (July 28-30) coming to Pro Player Stadium.
July 17, 200323 yr The Marlins have done very good this season. Jack has done very good and the FO has been some what good. They have made good and bad moves. Lets see if we can get some more pitching help and im sure we will be deep in this Wild Card run....
July 17, 200323 yr You think Redman would be pitching again? i know for a fact it is Redman, Penny, Willis
July 17, 200323 yr This was written before the marlins got Urbina. So a set-up man is no loger the biggest need. I think the marlins need to get someone that could play LF. BTW: who wrote this?
July 17, 200323 yr Whenever it was written, its still a great article. You can tell this isn't a Marlin hater.
July 17, 200323 yr The MLB.com writers are independent of the site. The content is posted by MLB.com's webmaster and cannot be reviewed by the teams or edited.
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