Here's what you do: The next time someone calls the Marlins a surprise story, or talks of their surprise season, or marvels at how surprising it is for the smallest little payroll in baseball to compete with the big bankrolls, you hand the phone to Admin Beinfest. Then stand back.

 

"I hate when people say call us that — a surprise," he said.

 

It was a little after 5 o'clock Sunday, a little after Atlanta came back to beat the Marlins in the kind of game both the teams need, the kind the Marlins especially can't afford to drop.

 

Maybe the trip this loss ended is the start of the end for the Marlins.Maybe the up-and-down starting pitching does them in. Maybe the bullpen can't hold on forever, as Sunday showed.

 

Or maybe this happens: Anibel Sanchez's return anchors the rotation.This lineup keeps hitting. Maybe this team gets another gust of wind that pushes them into the deepest part of September.

 

Whatever, don't call them a surprise.

 

"I got a call from a national writer at the All-Star break saying that about us being a surprise, that he was picking us as the year's surprise team," Beinfest said. "I said, 'Why are we a surprise team? We won 84 games last year. We're not rebuilding.'"

 

He paused. "We should be in this."

 

As August heads home to September, the Marlins remain in play, which makes them the fun story in baseball. There's no arguing that. They've turned this season into a good adventure.

 

It's not because of what they're doing that makes them a good team to watch. It's who they are. It's how they're doing it.

 

There was a moment Sunday that spoke of this. Reliever Cristhian Martinez ended an Atlanta threat by getting a ground ball hit to Dan Uggla, who made a nice backhand play and had his throw to first scooped up by Ross Gload.

 

If you're scoring at home, that's a Rule 5 pitcher the Marlins bought for $12,000 when Detroit didn't keep him on the roster, a Rule 5 second baseman Arizona didn't keep and a first baseman who is having all but$400,000 of his $1.9 salary being paid by Kansas City.

 

Six years after the book Moneyball redefined the modern game and made Oakland General Manager Billy Beane a pop star, three years after Oakland last had a winning record, the Marlins and Minnesota remain the only small-market teams to consistently have it figured out.

 

They're the smartest kids in the class. They're the teams that figured out how to make this crazy baseball business work when you're not writing checks like the Yankees or Red Sox. The Marlins, see, are on the way to their fifth winning season in Beinfest's seven years. The Twins are on a similar pace.

 

The Mets come to South Florida on Tuesday and provide a good foil to the Marlins' story. The Mets are sunk this year despite a $149 million payroll, while the Marlins are still in it with their baseball-lowest $36.8 million payroll.

 

Yes, the Mets are struck hard by injuries. So let's expand the view. In the eight years under owner Jeffrey Loria,the Marlins have spent roughly $600 million less on players than the Mets ($901 million to $293 million) and won slightly more games (634 to626). They also won a World Series.

 

The shortcut to seeing how the Marlins and Mets do business so differently is what they're on the hook for next year. The Mets already owe a guaranteed $92 million, including more than $20 million for veterans they don't really want ( Billy Wagner, Luis Castillo, Tim Redding, Alex Cora …).

 

The Marlins owe $8 million for the contracts of Hanley Ramirez and Wes Helms next year. That's it. And Ramirez is the best buy in baseball, one of the game's top five players whose contract ($5.5 million this year)isn't in the top 100.

 

Basically, the Marlins keep pumping out young talent and play fantasy baseball with their roster every year. Who to keep? Who to let go? And at what price?

 

"The payroll's the payroll," Beinfest says. "Our job is to win. Whether it's finding Alfredo Amezaga four years ago or getting Dan Meyer in a waiver claim last winter, we think we can build a winning team."

 

They also have a catcher, John Baker,who came in a trade with Oakland. They have another Rookie of the Year candidate up from the minors in Chris Coghlan. Their starting rotation consists of two first-round picks, a fourth-round pick and two players received in trades.

 

"We need to pitch from here on," Beinfest said. "We need our starters to give consistent innings to give us a chance to win each night.That's the key, I think, to our chances."

 

Does that happen? Who knows? It wouldn't be a surprise, either way,just like the Marlins aren't to themselves. But to everyone elsethey're the kind of story that makes sports fun.

 

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@SunSentinel.com

I agree with Admin (I just wanted to say that). However, being known as the surprise team and the underdog has been good for us in the past so lets hope that continues.

It seems we've been in contention the last few summers, which makes me wonder why everyone thinks we're a surprise every year. I guess they just look at the payroll and the guys we get rid of every offseason and ask themselves, "how are they doing it?"

Every Spring its the same - the so called experts pick Florida, Kansas, Oakland and whoever as their sleeper/suprise teams for the upcoming season.

It seems we've been in contention the last few summers, which makes me wonder why everyone thinks we're a surprise every year. I guess they just look at the payroll and the guys we get rid of every offseason and ask themselves, "how are they doing it?"

 

It's like the opposite of being the Mets. Every year they're the team to beat in the NL East and every year they fall. How many more years in a row with basically the same team will have to pass before ESPN goes "Maybe this collection of guys just isn't it"?

Wow, what I've been saying. CONSISTENT pitching!

These guys are veterans by the way so I do expect them to win this year. We have a few rookies but the majority of this "core" has been together a few years now. that "core" will be broken up after this year.