http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/conte...notes_0430.html

 

MIAMI GARDENS ? The young Florida Marlins are swinging and missing at a record pace this year.

 

Strikeouts are often a by-product of youth, and the Marlins, with 12 rookies, have struck out 8.7 times per game over the first 20 games, the highest strikeouts-per-game ratio in the major leagues.

 

The team record of strikeouts-per-game is 7.35, set in 2000.

 

"It's a new experience every time they go out there," manager Joe Girardi said, explaining how many rookies are seeing major-league pitchers for the first time.

 

"We don't have experienced guys. There are going to be days when we don't strike out a lot but it's going to take time. They're young. They're over-aggressive at times and they've never seen a pitcher. It's something they've got to deal with."

 

The rate has been alarming over the past 11 games going into Saturday ?- 115 strikeouts, including 14 on Friday.

 

"You watch veteran teams, those guys make pitchers work," said first baseman Mike Jacobs, who had struck out 19 times through Friday, second most on the team behind Hanley Ramirez's 23.

 

"We have a lot of young aggressive hitters. I'm an aggressive hitter, for sure. If I see the first pitch out over the plate, I'm going to try to drive that."

 

Through Friday, the Marlins had struck out once every 4.30 plate appearances, the highest percentage in the majors since the 2001 Brewers (4.39).

 

"I don't think that the strikeout trend they're on right now will continue for very long," said Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis, who struck out six Marlins on Friday.

 

"They're going to figure out what they can hit and what they can't. The more they play, they'll have a better idea of what they want to do at the plate."

 

Treanor time: Catcher Matt Treanor, who started Saturday, said it's no coincidence that he has hits in each of his past five starts.

 

"I started off (the season) struggling. I didn't know how much I was going to play," he said.

 

"Then you get a chance to get some at-bats together and offensively you can try to kick in into gear. Defensively you can see pitchers more on a regular basis. They feel more comfortable because they know you've been in there."

 

Mourning Howe: Girardi recalled the last time he saw former Yankees teammate Steve Howe, who was killed in a truck accident Friday at age 48.

 

"I saw him this winter at a reunion of the '96 championship team in New York. He congratulated me (for being hired as Marlins manager)," Girardi said.

 

Girardi caught Howe in 1996, Howe's final season. "He still had good stuff," he said.

 

"Obviously he'd lived a tough life but I think he had made every effort to have his life on the right path. It's sad. People aren't supposed to die this young."

 

 

The part about Hanley's K's worries me a bit.

While it is true that we have he highest K/inning ratio in the majors, Atlanta has the most K's (played 3 more games)....so they are not that far behind us. Other stats worth considering would be hitting with RISP where we are middle of the pack in MLB and OPS where we're 21st. For pitching we're 12th in team ERA.

 

If you look at inning 7+ were about the same in team ERA (22nd), but dead last in OPS, runs scored, and about every other significant offensive category.

 

So all in all it looks like these guys could turn it around by taking a more patient approach in later innings. Girardi needs to improve his end of game management as well.