Top Ways For The Marlins To Save Their Season
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The 2015 baseball season has not been kind to the Miami Marlins or their fans. A season that began with high expectations has turned into one that will want to be forgotten if things don't turn around quickly.
The Marlins went into the All-Star break on a high after winning three of their last four games, but any momentum created by the positive stretch was apparently wiped out during the four day down period.
Since returning from the break, Miami has dropped four straight including a three-game sweep at the hands of the worst team in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Marlins are currently 17 games under .500 and are 13 games back in the National League East and 12 games back in the Wild Card race.
With just under 70 games remaining in the season, the Marlins are running out of time to save their season. As improbable as it may seem, here are the top ways they can turn things around.
Get & Stay Healthy
Two of the best players on the Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez, have missed significant time on the disabled list. On top of that, Miami's pitching staff has been decimated by injuries throughout the season, keeping the team from gaining any kind of continuity and momentum. Players are starting to get heathier but will it be enough, and in time, to save the season?
Bullpen Roles
One of the biggest issues with the Marlins this season has been the inconsistency of the relief pitchers. Guys like Steve Cishek and Bryan Morris, who were lights out in 2014, have really struggled this year which has led to quite a bit of disorganization in the bullpen. With nobody having a true defined role at the moment, it's hard for players to focus on doing one specific thing. Mike Dunn has been Mike Dunn, good but not great, and youngsters like Carter Capps and Sam Dyson have shown flashes but lack the steadiness needed to really fortify the 'pen.
Hit With RISP
This is one that absolutely must change if the Marlins are going to have any kind of success moving forward. The team as a whole has been just abysmal with runners in scoring position. There isn't a whole lot of analyzation needed for this category. You either hit with guys on base, or you don't. The Marlins must figure out how to do the former and not the latter if they're going to give their struggling pitching staff any kind of run support.
Win Some Series'
Winning streaks are difficult to come by in sports, and that is especially true in baseball. Playing a game almost every single day makes it difficult to string several wins together. The Marlins don't need to worry about going on a crazy winning streak to turn their season around. There are still enough games left that they can just focus on winning each series, taking two-out-of-three or three-of-four. If Miami can start doing that now, they can get within striking distance in four-to-six weeks.
Starters Build Off Jose's Momentum
You'll get little argument from anyone in baseball that Jose Fernandez is one of the top young pitchers in the game. His stuff is downright dominant and he can make hitters look just silly swinging and missing. Fernandez is the type of pitcher that teammates can rally around and build off of, and that's exactly what the Marlins need their staff to do.
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