Anibal Sanchez had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder that will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.  Sanchez started 6 games this season for the Marlins before he was demoted to AAA for pitching poorly.  He was 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA and a 2.07 WHIP this season for the Marlins.  Sanchez threw 30 innings this season in the big leagues and he allowed 43 hits, walked 19 batters and whiffed 14.  This is a major blow to the Marlins who were depending on Sanchez to be a fixture in their rotation for this season and the future.

The Marlins lefty relievers have been awful so far this season.  Reynel Pinto and Taylor Tankersley have both been pitching batting practice so far this season.  Pinto has had control issues and that has hurt him this season.  In 29 games this season, Pinto is 0-3 with 1 save, a 4.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.  Pinto has thrown 30.2 innings this season and he’s allowed 29 hits, walked 17 batters and whiffed 31.  If he doesn’t start throwing strikes soon Pinto will be nothing more than a left handed mop up man.  Taylor Tankersley has pitched in 27 games for the Marlins so far this season and he’s 3-1 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP.  He has thrown 19.1 innings and he’s allowed 21 hits, 3 homers, has walked 13 batters and whiffed 13.  He also must start to pitch better because the Marlins need a lefty they can count on late in ballgames.

I could hear Marlins’ fans rejoice everywhere with the news that they wouldn’t have to see Reggie Abercrombie whiff and make horrid defensive plays in the outfield for awhile.  Abercrombie has played in 20 games for the Marlins so far this season and he’s 14 for 66 (.212 avg, .579 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  Abercrombie needs to learn that he’s not a homerun hitter and that he should hit the ball on the ground and use his speed.  The 18 whiffs he had for the Marlins is unacceptable for a hitter of his type.  Hopefully he changes his style in AAA as a hitter before he gets another chance with the Marlins.

This is a move the Marlins should have made a couple of weeks ago.  They should just stick him in the lineup and play him everyday.  Many experts project him to be an “Eric Byrnes” type of player as he goes all out, all of the time.  He has played in 63 games in the minors this season and he is 65 for 226 (.288 avg, .874 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 9 homers and 40 RBIs. 

The Marlins have claimed 23 year old lefty Chris Seddon off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  He has started 12 games in AA ball this season and he’s 3-4 with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.  He has thrown 71 innings in AA and he has allowed 71 hits, walked 23 batters and whiffed 40.  Don’t expect much from him if the Devil Rays gave up on him.

The Marlins have placed Henry Owens on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder.  He has pitched in 22 games for the Marlins this season and he’s 2-0 with 4 saves, a 1.96 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.  He has thrown 23 innings for the Fish so far and he has allowed 19 hits, walked 10 batters and whiffed 16.  This will hurt the Marlins bullpen a little bit as Owens has really pitched well for them so far this season.

Over his last five games, Miguel Cabrera is 9 for 18 (.500 avg, 1.582 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 7 RBIs.  Cabrera has seen his batting average improve to .333 and his OPS is now 1.002 for the season.  Look for Cabrera to continue to roll as he’s one of the best hitters in baseball despite playing his home games in a pitcher’s park.

The Marlins are 8-6 the last two weeks as they’ve outscored their opponents 75-60.  The Marlins are really hitting the ball well lately and that’s the big reason for the improvement as a team.  The Marlins enter this week with a 31-33 record which has them in 4th place in the American League East, 6.5 games behind the Mets.

Josh Johnson will have one more rehab start on Wednesday and if everything goes well it will be his last.  The Marlins will have their fingers crossed as he’s a building block of the Marlins rotation.  In 2 rehab starts in the minors leagues, Johnson is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  In 10.2 innings this season, Johnson has allowed 10 hits, walked 2 batters and whiffed 9.  Johnson has #1 starter stuff but the Marlins will be careful with him and watch his pitch counts closely.  He has pitched in 35 (25 starts) games in the majors and he’s 12-7 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.  In 169.1 innings Johnson has allowed 147 hits, walked 78 batters and whiffed 143.  The Marlins will be a better team instantly when Johnson re-joins the starting rotation.

The Florida Marlins lack a major league centerfielder or a decent catcher and it’s hurting the defense and their offense a bit.  Let’s start of with the black hole in centerfield.  The Marlins decided not to bring in a legit CF in free agency or through a trade because they had faith in little known Alejandro De Aza.  De Aza wasn’t even one of the Marlins top 30 prospects according to Baseball America but the Marlins had faith.  He got off to a good start to the season before he fractured his ankle.  In his first 9 major league games, De Aza was 10 for 33 (.303 avg, .769 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He will be out a long, long time while his ankle heals.  So now the Marlins are playing the same guys that did a lousy job in CF last season.  The better of the two is converted shortstop Alfredo Amezaga and that’s not saying much.  He’s a below average defender in CF and he’s not a good hitter.  Despite the fact that he’s a lousy hitter the Marlins are batting him leadoff which defies logic!  In 47 games this season, Amezaga is 38 for 155 (.245 avg, .631 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 12 RBIs.  Reggie Abercrombie also is a poor excuse for a centerfielder defensively.  In 14 games this season, Abercrombie is 10 for 48 (.208 avg., .588 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 

The second black hole on the Marlins is at catcher.  Miguel Olivo is not a good catcher but when your backup is one of the worst, if not the worst player in the major leagues…..you have to play a lot!  Olivo almost never gets a break and he could be wearing out but the Marlins have no choice but to play him.  In 52 games this season, Olivo is 45 for 198 (.227 avg, .597 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs.  Olivo also is not the most selective batter in league as he’s whiffed 51 times and walked only 6 times and pitchers are taking advantage of that by not throwing him many strikes.  Until he adjusts back to the pitchers he will continue to have poor production numbers.  Still, compared to his backup Matt Treanor……Olivo looks like Joe Mauer!   In 14 games this season, Treanor is 6 for 34 (.176 avg, .517 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. 

The Marlins should make a trade or two to bring in a legit major league centerfielder and catcher or they will wind up having a poor season.