Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
The Miami Marlins will have an off day Thursday after coming off a shutout loss to the Atlanta Braves Wednesday. Braves’ pitcher Kris Medlan was his usual self, pitching lights out baseball and the Marlins offense, as usual, could not handle the dominance that Medlan brought to the mound. The team needs to put this one in the past and focus on the upcoming series against the New York Mets.
There has not been much excitement surrounding the Marlins except from the first few weeks of the season. The team can now be compared to a 15-year-old dog. It was a puppy at the beginning of the season. We were all excited and charmed by the way the team looked, by the way the stadium looked, by the character it brought in with Ozzie Guillen, we loved it and nurtured it. Now it seems like 15 years have passed and the team is now just, well, there.
This series with the Mets could change that.
Without any hope left, the Marlins exited August with a 12-18 record and were sitting at the bottom of the NL East. But with the recent struggles of the Mets, the Marlins have a chance to gain fourth place in the NL East, which would be the team’s highest position prior to the Philadelphia Phillies‘ hot streak.
It is all about the will to win. This may not be the way that the Marlins are going to look at it but the team has to salvage something from this horrendous season. In March, everyone was talking playoffs and World Series. Little did anyone know that during the season they’d be talking Fidel Castro, resignations and big changes.
With Jacob Turner coming off his first win with the club, his presence on the mound is a good start to the weekend. It may not be huge right now but in terms of morale, it could do wonders.
Both teams are tied for fourth, with the Mets only percentage points ahead of the Marlins in the NL East. The Marlins are just 4-8 against the Mets but at this point of the season, it is something for the team and its fans to look forward to as the end nears.
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