Rookie starters help turn around Marlins' season

By Joe Capozzi

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

 

Off the field, they couldn't be more different.

 

Ricky Nolasco is a computer nerd who attends chapel every week, decorates his locker with rosaries and spends his off-seasons camping in the desert.

 

Scott Olsen is an extrovert who smokes cigarettes, plays video games and got a black eye last month in an after-hours scrap with a teammate.

 

Josh Johnson, at 6-feet-7, is a quiet man with a Mormon upbringing who likes to relax by curling up in front of the TV with his fianc?e to watch their favorite show, Family Guy.

 

On the field, they all are rookie starters who have helped transform the Marlins (29-37) in the past four weeks into baseball's hottest team.

 

"They're not even close to being the same, but all three are bulldogs on the mound," first baseman Mike Jacobs said. "Whatever they're doing, keep doing it."

 

All three were in the Class AA minor leagues last year, and none was in the Marlins' rotation when the season started. Olsen was to be promoted from the minors in mid-April when a fifth starter was needed; Nolasco and Johnson replaced Jason Vargas (demoted to the minors) and Sergio Mitre (injured).

 

The three rookies' impact has been undeniable.

 

"These last 3 1/2 weeks have been about pitching and our ability to win because of the pitching," General Manager Admin Beinfest said.

 

The Marlins have won 18 of their past 24 games, the best winning percentage in baseball since May 22.

 

Nolasco went to the mound that day for his second start and allowed one run in seven innings to the Cubs.

 

Since then, the youngsters have been taking turns topping each other, with Dontrelle Willis and Brian Moehler ? two veteran starters who had been struggling ? getting in on the act and turning their seasons around.

 

"All of the sudden, we had guys who were giving us length on our games, and our bullpen wasn't being taxed," manager Joe Girardi said.

 

"It is motivating, and it's fun at the same time," said Moehler, 35. "They joke around with me, call me 'Old Man.' They're a bunch of good guys, and it's a pleasure to watch these guys pitch."

 

Olsen, after a rough start last month, gained motivation from Johnson. Olsen was lifting weights in the clubhouse and watching a TV screen showing Johnson in a strong start against Tampa Bay.

 

"I remember telling Paul (Fournier, the team's strength coach), 'That doesn't look that hard,' " Olsen said. "He said, 'Yeah, TV makes it look a lot easier.' I said, 'No, I can do that.' "

 

Olsen also was motivated by a fear of being sent back to the minors. He has been on a roll ? 4-0 in his past five starts ? since Girardi grabbed him by the jersey in the dugout to lecture him about maintaining focus.

 

As for Johnson and Nolasco, pitching coach Rick Kranitz believes they have benefited by starting the season as relievers.

 

"Going to the bullpen and pitching a little bit at a time and knowing that they did belong here and could compete here was huge," Kranitz said.

 

Another confidence booster: Barry Bonds. Olsen and Johnson were among Marlins pitchers who held the Giants' slugger to 2-for-11 with a home run (off Moehler) in two recent series.

 

"We went after him," Kranitz said. "I think these guys realized if we can go after him, we can go after anybody and be successful."

 

Still, it's only June. Nolasco pitched 160 innings in Class AA last year, the heaviest workload any of them has handled. The test will come after the July 11 All-Star break, to see if they can pitch in August and September the way they did in May and June.

 

"What I see, this is like the (old) Braves," veteran reliever Matt Herges said. "This is like Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz... the type of rotation that should be here eight to 10 years to come, and just dominate....

 

"I don't want to say any of these guys are as good as a Glavine or a Smoltz or a Maddux. It's totally unfair. But I think when they first came up with the Braves in the early '90s, that's what you're looking at in J.J., Nolasco and Olsen. And we're not even talking about Dontrelle yet, and he's our ace."

 

Olsen was flattered by the comparison, but he knows he and his teammates have much to prove.

 

"We could be real good. Everybody has the potential," he said. "And we are definitely three different personalities, but when we get out on there mound, we're like the same person. One guy goes out, you want to go out the next day and out-do him. It's a lot of fun right now."

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/conte...rlins_0620.html

good article. i like that first part you bolded... sounds like something out of a movie

Nice read. Thanks for sharing :thumbup .

Kind of sounds like the competition Leiter and Brown had in '97 when both went out on the mound and try to play higher than the other.

Yeah look like this guys are competing each other to see who is the dominating closer now knowing they are not getting demotted for awhile.

Great article! I guess this makes JJ our MVP so far ...everything started with him. For being so different they have meshed tightly together...We are proud of our baby marlins

Nolasco's a computer nerd? Holy crap Admin get him to post here immediately. :lol :thumbup

Nolasco's a computer nerd? Holy crap Admin get him to post here immediately. :lol :thumbup

 

 

:lol Good thinking. Do it do it do it do it Admin.