Kensing to Tank to Martinez...This is our Bullpen for the rest of the season and a darn good one at that for sure, This maybe the core of our bullpen for quite sometime. Our pitching rotation has just become that much tougher now that they can trust the bullpen to maintain a lead. I hate to say it but We have a whole new ballclub almost a playoff contending team. These baby Marlins have taken a huge step forward in their developement

when our 'pen is on, like tonight...I seriously match us up with any team in baseball...and we're capable of beating anyone...

Oh I definitely believe we can play with anybody and have a chance to come away with a W. We're still just over one third of the way through the season. These guys still have a lot to prove along the lines of longevity. A lot of baseball to be played. Enjoy it!

I am thrilled our pen is up to speed, I really think our boys at the plate are encouraged by it. :thumbup

As one of the serious Kensing supporters even through his bad times...

 

keep proving critics wrong kid. You are starting to open eyes, and just keep on keeping on.

I've always liked Kensing too - he throws hard and finally has control of his stuff. Slider is filthy as well.

 

I still wouldn't get too carried away - one good stretch doesn't make a bullpen. They look good and they show promise - but they have to keep it up for a full season at the very least to be "put up against the best".

Kensing certainly has settled into his role nicely. I can picture him setting up Carlos Martinez for the next Marlins playoff team (hopefully in 2008 )I'm still not sure why he was so hated by some people. He clearly wasn't ready to pitch in the majors in his past 2 stints with the Marlins, and it wasn't his fault he was rushed. Hopefully he keeps it up. If he can develop into a top setup man, the Marlins will be ready to contend that much quicker. If the past 2 seasons have taught us anything it's that reliable stup men aren't easy to find.

I haven't always liked Kensing, I rooted for him but thought his command was off. He has improved much since his major-league debut against the Cubs. I really like the excitement that Martinez brings. He reminds me of "Lima time" with his confidence/exhuberance.

We might be young but we are talented :thumbup . I never trusted/liked Kensing before, to me he was just a blown game waiting to happen but now he has proved me wrong. This bullpen has gotten 100% better since the beginning of the year. We have 4 guys that we can "somewhat trust" to get the job done every game (Tank, K-Mart, Kensing, Messenger).

 

Keep up the good work boys :thumbup .

You know the past few seasons it seemed to me that every time a reliever came out of the 'pen, they were trying to close out the game all by themselves. True it was also filled with a bunch of untalented guys, but its almost like they wanted to do too much. This bullpen reminds me of the one that was with this team for the run in '03 where each guy is feeding off of each other and are confident enough to go out there and throw the necessary pitches to get guys out.

 

 

So if they can keep this bullpen together for a few season (which they should considering how young Kensing, Tank, Martinez and Messenger are) and have a solid closer like Borowski, then this team is going to be in GOOD shape for the very near future. And with our starting rotation coming together as well.... :mischief

The improvement of the pitching, both starters and bullpen, is certainly encouraging.

 

The problem that I am seeing now is the high number of strike-outs. Lately we are striking out 10 to 16 times per game whenever we face a decent pitcher. You certainly can't win consistently like this. Hitting the darn ball, even if an out is recorded, can lead to a lot of good things. Even hitting into a DP can score a run with men on first and third with no outs.

 

Even with improved pitching our young team needs to put the ball in play more often for the Marlins to turn the corner.

Might be a bit premature to solidify their place in the pen, but it is certainly refreshing to see a nice stretch of pitching from our boys.

Messenger,Kensing,Tank,and KMart has been the most reliable set of relievers we've used this year. It's a nice change from using only Mota and Jones everynight.

I'm just glad Kensing has found a role he can pitch well in. Cause we all know he sure as hell didn't look too great starting a few years ago. (But then again, he came straight from A ball so you can't blame him)

This is the first time this team has actually had middle relief.

Super young lively arms. The ball moves in the zone, the change in speeds batters have to contend with-WOW, I just can't help getting ahead of myself. Just compare it to the "veteran" pen from last yr that gave us ulcers. Other than Jones-watching Mecir, El Pupo, Villone, brings back memories, like a stomach virus. Borowski is doing his job, but he is still scary-but the other kids, even if they mess up, well, they are human, but you still feel that they can DO the job. I don't know, the whole feeling of the team improving is uplifting, even as we know that they will still struggle. Still, you just love the upside for the near future-and we are all going to share it before the bandwagon gets filled again.

Super young lively arms. The ball moves in the zone, the change in speeds batters have to contend with-WOW, I just can't help getting ahead of myself. Just compare it to the "veteran" pen from last yr that gave us ulcers. Other than Jones-watching Mecir, El Pupo, Villone, brings back memories, like a stomach virus. Borowski is doing his job, but he is still scary-but the other kids, even if they mess up, well, they are human, but you still feel that they can DO the job. I don't know, the whole feeling of the team improving is uplifting, even as we know that they will still struggle. Still, you just love the upside for the near future-and we are all going to share it before the bandwagon gets filled again.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself...You have to just smile with the prospects of these "kids" in our bullpen. The Younglings are ready to takeover and have already taken their first major step.