April 30, 200620 yr MIAMI -- After making progress running, Jeremy Hermida's return to the lineup may be faster than first projected. Encouraged by pregame drills Saturday, the Marlins on Sunday said Hermida may be activated Wednesday when they travel to Washington for a two-game series with the Nationals. Initially, manager Joe Girardi was anticipating Hermida being brought back, at the earliest, for the weekend series with the Cardinals at Dolphin Stadium. Hermida on Monday will play for Class A Jupiter at Roger Dean Stadium in a rehab assignment. The Hammerheads are facing Daytona Beach. On Tuesday, Hermida will play in an extended Spring Training game, which means he can bat in every inning. Girardi said he wants Hermida to get about five at-bats that day. If all goes well in those two assignments, Hermida will travel to Washington and could be activated from the disabled list Wednesday. The 22-year-old rookie right fielder has been sidelined since April 17, retroactive to April 12, with a strained right hip flexor. "He ran very well and he ran the bases hard," Girardi said of Hermida's pregame workout Saturday. The team didn't go through batting practice drills on the field Sunday. Staying in left: Even though Willingham was groomed to catch in Spring Training, the Marlins are so impressed with his bat that they are planning on keeping him in left field indefinitely. Willingham, nicknamed Hammer, has started in left field in 20 of the Marlins' 22 games. He has made two starts behind the plate. "In Spring Training, I said it was important to get Hammer 500 at-bats," Girardi said. "I might up that number. That might make it a little more difficult to catch a lot of games." Fuentes on Marlins: Rockies closer Brian Fuentes is among the best in the National League. The left-hander did have his Colorado record of 21 straight converted saves snapped by the Marlins on Friday. The Marlins threatened off Fuentes on Saturday night, loading the bases with one out, before the left-hander got out of the jam. Fuentes has gained respect for the Marlins. And he discussed dealing with adversity with Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis. "I've got a lot of respect for those hitters," Fuentes said. "They're a tough team. They're young, like us. Now we're playing well. We're getting all the limelight and everyone's kind of writing them off. It's disappointing. I talked to Dontrelle about it and said, 'It stunk when you come to the ballpark and all you hear is negative things in the paper, on the news, on ESPN and all that stuff.' But they're a resilient team and I think they're going to be all right. They play the game the right way. They play hard." http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...t=.jsp&c_id=fla Some good news.
April 30, 200620 yr I don't want to rush him. If he's healthy though, by all means. I'm dying to get one of our black holes out of the lineup.
April 30, 200620 yr What time is the game? That made me smile 7:05pm. I may very well go. It sounds like fun.
April 30, 200620 yr What time is the game? That made me smile 7:05pm. I may very well go. It sounds like fun. Argh. The Marlins are playing. I would have gone if the game started before 4pm.
May 1, 200620 yr I don't know if I'd call pushing back the date to come off the DL twice is "fast track," but it's good to see he's almost ready.
May 1, 200620 yr I don't know if I'd call pushing back the date to come off the DL twice is "fast track," but it's good to see he's almost ready. lol I suppose since they previously announced he would return Friday, Wednesday is now the fast track. :lol
May 1, 200620 yr I don't know if I'd call pushing back the date to come off the DL twice is "fast track," but it's good to see he's almost ready. lol I suppose since they previously announced he would return Friday, Wednesday is now the fast track. :lol It'll probably get pushed back again before he comes back.
May 1, 200620 yr I think Hermida's absence and the increased playing time for much lesser players has cost us 1-2 ballgames this season at the least. Especially since so many games have been decided by 1 run.
May 2, 200620 yr I think Hermida's absence and the increased playing time for much lesser players has cost us 1-2 ballgames this season at the least. Especially since so many games have been decided by 1 run. Who knows. It could be more than 1 or 2. The inability of this team to get a clutch hit, or even a decent AB with RISP, late in the game is astounding.
May 2, 200620 yr I think Hermida's absence and the increased playing time for much lesser players has cost us 1-2 ballgames this season at the least. Especially since so many games have been decided by 1 run. Who knows. It could be more than 1 or 2. The inability of this team to get a clutch hit, or even a decent AB with RISP, late in the game is astounding. Very true. They are putting last years squad to shame as far as leaving RISP, which is astounding.
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