Who can blame him? He invested heavily in this team this year and is getting the same mediocre offense.

 

Loria's vow: Changes loom

 

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria watched his team lose to the Nationals, its 10th loss in 12 games, and let it be known he won't sit by idly: `There'll be some things happening.'

 

BY CLARK SPENCER

 

cspencer@herald.com

 

 

WASHINGTON - While his voice wasn't threatening in tone, owner Jeffrey Loria made it clear he won't sit benignly after watching the foundering Marlins lose Sunday for the 10th time in their past 12 games and fall from first to last in the NL East in the past 72 hours.

 

Asked if personnel changes are forthcoming, Loria replied: ``There'll be some things happening, but we'll have to figure it out. I'm sure that the baseball people are looking at what we need to be doing, and I'm sure we'll talk about it.''

 

Loria didn't specify whether alterations would involve players or coaches, but after the Washington Nationals completed a series sweep of the Marlins with a 6-3 victory at RFK Stadium, he indicated with careful wording that changes likely are in store.

 

That could mean any number of things, but the primary focus seemed to center on the team's dysfunctional offense. Though the Marlins rank close to the top of National League teams in batting average, the hits aren't coming when they count. The Marlins out-hit the Nationals 33-24 during the weekend. But they ended up stranding 35 runners -- 14 on Saturday and a dozen Sunday.

 

''Thirty-three hits and 35 men left on base ain't going to get it done,'' said manager Jack McKeon, who has repeatedly, and vainly, tinkered with the lineup, trying to find one that functions.

 

``We've been doing this for two years.''

 

Loria sank a franchise-record $65 million into the team's roster and surprised many when he secured free-agent slugger Carlos Delgado during the winter. But the Marlins, a preseason choice by baseball insiders to contend for a third World Series title, are flailing so miserably that Delgado himself called a players-only meeting before Sunday's game.

 

That followed another closed-door meeting after Saturday's loss in which McKeon ripped into players.

 

Despite those two air-it-out sessions, the Marlins on Sunday didn't perform any differently than they have all season. Miguel Cabrera and Delgado struck out with runners at second and third in the first inning. Luis Castillo and Juan Pierre failed with runners poised at the same spots in the eighth.

 

VANISHING LEADS

 

The Marlins on Sunday, like they did in every one of their seven road-trip games, grabbed the lead, only to have it vanish.

 

They were up 2-0 in the seventh when starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, under control for most of the game, walked Ryan Church with one out. Two singles later, he was down 2-1 and McKeon came out of the dugout to take the ball and give it to Jim Mecir. Mecir, who struck out the side in Friday's loss, promptly gave up a hit to pinch-hitter Jose Guillen to load the bases and smacked pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga on his foot to force in the tying run.

 

Marlon Byrd's sacrifice fly put the Nationals ahead 3-2.

 

Lenny Harris tied the score in the eighth with his 200th career pinch hit, a double that left runners at second and third. But the Marlins could do no more.

 

John Riedling issued a one-out walk to Nick Johnson, then watched as Damion Easley -- who was at third base after entering as a pinch-runner for Mike Lowell -- booted a potential inning-ending double-play ground ball for an error.

 

HOMER OFF PERISHO

 

That left Nationals runners at first and third, which were wiped clean when Church belted a home run off Marlins reliever Matt Perisho.

 

''[Pitching coach Mark Wiley] and I talked about being more aggressive to left-handed hitters and attacking them more,'' Perisho said after the lefty-hitting Church delivered the game-winning blow.

 

``So I went right after him. I got ahead of him, and then I tried to stay in the attack mode, and he got me.''

 

Thus wasted was an otherwise strong outing by Burnett, who had a 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning.

 

Burnett said he was irked when McKeon came out to remove him in the seventh but also said he understood the decision.

 

''I got in a little funk there in the seventh, but it was my game, and I don't think I should have been taken out right there,'' said Burnett, whose record fell to 3-5. ``But it's Skip's call, and you have got to respect the man.''

 

 

Link

Thats what I call a pretty damn good summary. People keep saying that its early, but when you have a team like this that has so much expectancy, things just have to get done.

 

It just sux to see the Marlins players struggling like this. I remember when Jack first came in, everyone was thrilled and talked about how fun it was to play for him. He was stern, but he also insisted the players have fun. Ever since they won the title, I dont know how much fun our team has been having. Ive never seen him this hard on his players before and alot of the players that are used to being with the organization are probably gettin' a bit uncomfortable with it.

 

It has alot to do with pressure to perform and this team needs to chill. Maybe thatll bring the hits on.

 

If this continues however, I cant see there not be some huge changes made to this team before we hit the All Star break.

Thats what I call a pretty damn good summary. People keep saying that its early, but when you have a team like this that has so much expectancy, things just have to get done.

 

It just sux to see the Marlins players struggling like this. I remember when Jack first came in, everyone was thrilled and talked about how fun it was to play for him. He was stern, but he also insisted the players have fun. Ever since they won the title, I dont know how much fun our team has been having. Ive never seen him this hard on his players before and alot of the players that are used to being with the organization are probably gettin' a bit uncomfortable with it.

 

It has alot to do with pressure to perform and this team needs to chill. Maybe thatll bring the hits on.

 

If this continues however, I cant see there not be some huge changes made to this team before we hit the All Star break.

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I'm not sure if it is the pressure to win, but it could well be.

 

In my view losing Ozzie Guillen had the greatest impact on the team "having fun" as he could really keep them loose.

Bill Robinson needs to go.

Good Postings.

Line-up changes haven't worked.

Attitudes are gong down the toilet.

(e.g. Burnett saying he shouldn't have been pulled. Mota making a complete ass of himself... but no bigger ass than Robinson.)

And Lenny's Hallmark was obscured. (I haven't been a Lenny fan this Season but I would have enjoyed a well-earned celebration.)

 

Something dramatic is in order. Loria is ready, just waiting for good in-put from Jack and the FO.

It's one thing to be patient and say Time Takes Time... another thing to take action when your butt is getting roasted.

 

I have confidence we will correct this down-spiral. To Wit: Roster changes this week.

Good to see that Loria realizes things aren't going the way they should be. Today is an off-day....I'm sure the front office is going to be quite busy.

When fan #1 is not happy, then the team will hear it.

 

Robinson and Mota should be going pretty soon.

Not sure what Burnette is talking about, he is going downhill after the 7th inning on most games, being wild and showing signs of being tired.

 

If I was Jack, In close games I would have a reliever rdy on the 7th and pull him out at first sign of trouble

 

btw, Loria sucks as a fan for panicing this early with 1.5 games behind 1st place :plain

Hrmm...Loria has gone Steinbrennerish now it seems

Hrmm...Loria has gone Steinbrennerish now it seems

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And well he should. He's put up big bucks (beyond what anyone expected) and he has a right to expect performance.

You know, I really liked AJ's quote at the end of the article. It shows he respects Jack, unlike Mota who is crying because he wants to be the closer.

You know, I really liked AJ's quote at the end of the article. It shows he respects Jack, unlike Mota who is crying because he wants to be the closer.

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I agree. AJ clearly wanted the chance to pitch out of the situation, and perhaps he is right in hindsight that it should have been his game to lose, but I am pleased to see the change in attitude AJ is displaying, at least publicly. It shows he is maturing.

''Thirty-three hits and 35 men left on base ain't going to get it done,'' said manager Jack McKeon, who has repeatedly, and vainly, tinkered with the lineup, trying to find one that functions.

 

``We've been doing this for two years.''

 

 

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 

 

Robinson you are the weakest link...........GOODBYE.

 

:plain

''Thirty-three hits and 35 men left on base ain't going to get it done,'' said manager Jack McKeon, who has repeatedly, and vainly, tinkered with the lineup, trying to find one that functions.

 

``We've been doing this for two years.''

 

 

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 

 

Robinson you are the weakest link...........GOODBYE.

 

:plain

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Sounds like Jack is starting to get a bit impatient regarding how long this offense has been underperforming. It has been over a year now.

I agree that Robinson needs to go. It seems to me that a hitting coach is best evaluated over the long-term. Lowell's 2+ month slump coupled with Pierre's slump is pretty damning considering that there were also long-term slumps last year (Gonzo, Castro and Encarnacion). However, it's ironic at who is performing and who is not performing when compared to last year. Obviously Encarnacion's shoulder is a big part of the improvement but how is it that Lowell can't hit anything and Gonzo can? Curious.

 

Anyway, it seems to me that the short-term solution is to play Conine/Easley more, even if it means moving Cabrera to third when Conine plays. I think Pierre needs to play everyday as he will always be more of an asset than a liability. We can pick up Danny Graves and either trade Mota or demote Bump (personally I'm for shipping Bump to AAA and giving Mota some time to "work it out." Let Mota close out the 9th in non-save situations to get back into the flow.) If Mota were to go on the block, I'm sure someone would want to pick him up. For anyone who suggest that we trade Lowell, who is going to pay $8 million+ for him right now?

Not that I'm suggesting, simply speculating, is McKeon safe?

 

Have to believe that Wiley is safe(can't argue with the pitching, especially the rotation).

 

Have to believe that Beinfest is safe.

 

So I simply ask about McKeon, usually a hitting coach's firing doesn't get the owner venting about changes forthcoming, usually it's just "you're fired, get out of here."

I'm glad Loria finally stood up and said something. When you can't spend as much money as some of the other big market teams yet set a franchise high for payroll, you deserve to see some ROI. Lets see if these guys get the message and start putting it together again.

I think you guys are over estimating the impact of a MAJOR league Hitting coach. These guys have played ball all their lives and have made it to the professional level for a reason. I think these guys don't need anymore coaching as far as hitting goes. You can't blame Robinson for the clear lack of situational hitting our team has showed. You can't blame him for the prolonged slump of 1 former all star and last years NL hits champion. I mean bottom line is these guys are not mentally there right now, for what reason? I do not know, I have felt that since last year we needed a change at head coach because I think we need a younger more enthusiastic manager in the club house. someone like an Ozzie Guillen... Also, I think that the constant line-up changes by McKeon are stopping us from getting in any sort of rythem, I mean even when we go on slumps he should keep the lineup constant for a strech of 10 - 20 games and let them get accustomed to batting in their roles. I think that has alot to do with our poor situational hitting. Of course this is all just my opinion

I remember when Jack first came in, everyone was thrilled and talked about how fun it was to play for him. He was stern, but he also insisted the players have fun. Ever since they won the title, I dont know how much fun our team has been having.

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They are still having fun. The problem is maybe they are having too much fun outside of the clubhouse. Its time to stop playing hackysack and making jokes, and time to start watching tape of the Mariners.

jack needs to get into there minds. i want some wins. get them angry and get them to start playing like they should. need some postive stuff here!

btw, Loria sucks as a fan for panicing this early with 1.5 games behind 1st place :plain

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I disagree. If I spent a ton of money and saw this team struggle badly, I'd do something to fix it. Metaphorically, if you start to feel like something is physically/medically wrong with you, do you just let the symptoms get worse or do you go to the doctor and take care of it immediately?

 

I believe every game is important. It's the grand total of wins at the end of the season that dictate the play-offs boys and girls. That means winning as much as you can starting in April thru September. Teams lose games, it's ineviable in a 162 game season, but good teams find a way to bounce back after a loss. When the Braves dominated for how many years to win their divisions, how often did you see them lose more than 2 games in a row. Good teams find a way to win, that means sitting players, pulling trades, firing personnel. It is never too early in a season to do this. The longer a team waits, the more chances the team will miss the play-offs by season's last day, trailing by a game, all because they didn't win enough games early or they waited too long to make a move. I don't want to see the Marlins sitting at home in October because they fell short of post-season by one game because of this horrible losing 10 of 12 spell and watching that get worse because nothing was done immediately.

btw, Loria sucks as a fan for panicing this early with 1.5 games behind 1st place :plain

797746[/snapback]

 

 

I disagree. If I spent a ton of money and saw this team struggle badly, I'd do something to fix it. Metaphorically, if you start to feel like something is physically/medically wrong with you, do you just let the symptoms get worse or do you go to the doctor and take care of it immediately?

 

I believe every game is important. It's the grand total of wins at the end of the season that dictate the play-offs boys and girls. That means winning as much as you can starting in April thru September. Teams lose games, it's ineviable in a 162 game season, but good teams find a way to bounce back after a loss. When the Braves dominated for how many years to win their divisions, how often did you see them lose more than 2 games in a row. Good teams find a way to win, that means sitting players, pulling trades, firing personnel. It is never too early in a season to do this. The longer a team waits, the more chances the team will miss the play-offs by season's last day, trailing by a game, all because they didn't win enough games early or they waited too long to make a move. I don't want to see the Marlins sitting at home in October because they fell short of post-season by one game because of this horrible losing 10 of 12 spell and watching that get worse because nothing was done immediately.

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it was sarcasm, I'm glad that Loria spoke up.

btw, Loria sucks as a fan for panicing this early with 1.5 games behind 1st place :plain

797746[/snapback]

 

 

I disagree. If I spent a ton of money and saw this team struggle badly, I'd do something to fix it. Metaphorically, if you start to feel like something is physically/medically wrong with you, do you just let the symptoms get worse or do you go to the doctor and take care of it immediately?

 

I believe every game is important. It's the grand total of wins at the end of the season that dictate the play-offs boys and girls. That means winning as much as you can starting in April thru September. Teams lose games, it's ineviable in a 162 game season, but good teams find a way to bounce back after a loss. When the Braves dominated for how many years to win their divisions, how often did you see them lose more than 2 games in a row. Good teams find a way to win, that means sitting players, pulling trades, firing personnel. It is never too early in a season to do this. The longer a team waits, the more chances the team will miss the play-offs by season's last day, trailing by a game, all because they didn't win enough games early or they waited too long to make a move. I don't want to see the Marlins sitting at home in October because they fell short of post-season by one game because of this horrible losing 10 of 12 spell and watching that get worse because nothing was done immediately.

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it was sarcasm, I'm glad that Loria spoke up.

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Ah, OK...

I trust Loria's instincts. Hopefully he, and the same front office responsible for the Dodgers trade and 2002-3 drafts, have the right idea. Surely it seems no one in the clubhouse does.