Fish Bytes

Logan Morrison talks about his return to the Marlins' lineup; Coghlan on his calf; roster updates

NEW YORK -- Logan Morrison was all smiles Sunday morning sitting in the Marlins dugout. 

The 25-year old first baseman, who is trying to battle back from two surgeries on his right knee over the past year and a half, was happy to be back with his teammates and in a major league lineup for the first time since last July 28. Is his knee finally 100 percent?

"I don't think it's 100 percent, but it's pretty close," said Morrison, who spent all of spring training walking in an anti-gravity suit on a treadmill before finally beginning a 16-game rehab assignment last month. "I'm happy with it. Hopefully I can stay away from walls and the adrenaline doesn't get the best of me.

"When I first started sliding on it, it bothered. But the last couple days sliding on it hasn't bothered it."

After learning mid-game Saturday in Birmingham he was flying up to New York to join the Marlins Sunday, the always easy going Morrison said he sent a text message to manager Mike Redmond during the 20-inning game saying 'I guess I'm flying to New York to pitch.'

Morrison hit just .179 with two homers, 10 RBI, six walks and four strikeouts over 56 at-bats during his time in Single A Jupiter and Double A Jacksonville. But he's confident his hitting stroke will eventually come back. "It's what I do," he said. "It will come back."

What does he hope to bring a team that has a 17-44 record, worst in the majors?

"I don't have any secrets for them. I don't have any cure-alls," he said. "It's just going to be about going out and competing. Turn it around a little bit. Just because we're young doesn't mean we're not good. We have all the talent in the world. Play like you know you're going to succeed. Call it cocky, call it arrogant, fine. When you go into second base and a guy hits into a ground ball double play let him feel you. If he turns that one, he's not going to turn the second one. That's how you've got to play. That's how I play."

DISAPPOINTED COGHLAN HEADS TO DISABLED LIST

The last thing Chris Coghlan wanted just as he was beginning to turn his career around was another trip to the disabled list. But that's where the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year is headed after losing his three-week battle with numbness in his right calf.

"My muscle is not firing. It hurts. It feels like a real tight feeling that I can't push," said Coghlan, who is supposed to undergo an MRI on Monday. "The DL sucks. I've been waiting a year and a half for this opportunity I got, so that sucks even more. It's disappointing. I'm frustrated, but at the end of the day I did what I could do. I grinded through it, and this is what's just in the cards for me. I've got to turn the page, be positive and do whatever I can do to get back here as soon as possible."

A pinch-hitter and reserve for the first month and a half of the season, Coghlan found his way into the starting lineup on May 18th and hit .343 with a homer and 9 RBI over his last 18 games. With a crowded outfield full of young prospects, the Marlins have talked about moving him to third base. It's a possibility that's where he'll be when he returns.

STANTON COULD BE BACK MONDAY

> All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, rehabbing in Single A Jupiter and trying to come back from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, text messaged Redmond and trainer Sean Cunningham Saturday to tell him he's ready to go.

Although he's gone hitless in the four rehab games he's played in -- including a double header Saturday -- Redmond said just having Stanton back in the lineup will be huge. It's likely the Marlins will send first baseman Casey Kotchman, 0-for-20 this season at the plate, to the disabled list on Monday with a strained oblique to make room for Stanton on the roster.

"It's a great presence to have in our lineup," Redmond said. "Even if he takes, he's going to walk. If he's ready to go, he's ready to go."

> Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was scheduled to make his fourth and final rehab start in Double A Jacksonville Sunday.

> Redmond said right-hander Henderson Alvarez, who threw a 55 pitch simulated game Saturday, will likely begin his rehab stint next week.

> Second baseman Donovan Solano, whose gone 6-for-10 with an RBI in three rehab game starts down in Jupiter, is available to return this week. But the Marlins haven't decided yet what they're going to do.

"Solano's available," Redmond said. "But we still have to evaluate where he's at. We got a lot of guys that are close and we've talked about having some decisions to make. We have to sit down and figure out where these guys are at. We knew we would be getting guys back. Of course it all works out you get them all back the same week. It's a good situation. We're getting the lineup we thought we'd have when we left in spring training back. That's good."

> Saturday hero Kevin Slowey, who pitched seven scoreless innings of relief, will now pitch on Wednesday. He was scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday, but Redmond has moved right-hander Jacob Turner up a day and flip-flopped their spots to allow Slowey to gain an extra day of rest. 

Agent for Armando Galarraga, Mr. Near Perfect, calls Guillen about joining Marlins

Ozzie Guillen has a lot of friends throughout baseball and one of them -- the agent of 30-year old Venezuelan right-hander Armando Galarraga -- recently reached out to Guillen to see if the Marlins might have any interest in signing him.

You remember Galarraga. Two summers ago with the Tigers he retired the first 26 hitters he faced against the Indians, but his bid for a perfect game was ended one out short when first base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball. Galarraga instead finished with a one-hit shutout in a 3–0 victory.

His career has gone downhill ever since. He finished the 2010 season 4-9 with a 4.49 ERA and was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he went 3-4 with a 5.91 ERA in eight starts before being designated for assignment. Galarraga signed a minor league deal with the Orioles this spring, but was released April 6th after going 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in four appearances.

The Marlins aren't in need of starting pitching help at the moment. The came into Thursday's game tied for the major league lead with the Nationals and Rangers for the most quality starts in the majors at nine. Down in Triple A New Orleans, left-hander Brad Hand (2-0, 2.76 ERA), Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 2.00 ERA), and right-hander Alex Sanabia (1-0, 1.31 ERA) have all pitched well in their first three starts.

But it will be interesting to see if the team gives Galarraga a shot because of Guillen's Venezuelan connections.

"I've passed it up the ladder," Guillen said of Galarraga's request. "We'll see what happens."

> Guillen caused some controversy with his comments in Puerto Rico a couple years ago when he called Ivan Rodriguez -- and not Roberto Clemente -- the best player in the country's history. With news of Rodriguez's retirement breaking Wednesday night (thanks to our Clark Spencer), Guillen reiterated Thursday he stands by his praise for Rodriguez.

"You look at the numbers he's put up -- he's still the best," Guillen said. "People criticized me, but should know I was a huge Roberto Clemente fan, as big as anyone in his family. I think when I said that Clemente was the third best player in Puerto Rico's history, behind [Roberto] Alomar, and Ivan [Rodriguez] that was based on the position Pudge played, the way he played it for many years. His numbers speak for themselves. World Series. Gold Gloves. Silver Sluggers. What hasn't he done? All that's missing is what's coming -- the Hall of Fame."

Guillen stopped short of calling Rodriguez the best catcher of all time, but said " if I had to pick one, he would be it."

Stanton not worried about HR drought

Hanley Ramirez will attempt to become just the seventh player in team history to hit a home run in four consecutive games today when the Marlins host the Cubs in a 12:40 p.m. matinee at Marlins Park.

While Ramirez tied Miguel Cabrera for third place on the Marlins all-time home run list Wednesday night, the guy many expected to be lighting up the home run sculpture in center field on a regular basis -- right fielder Giancarlo Stanton -- is still looking for his first home run of the season after 12 games. 

Is the team leader in home runs in 2011 surprised he hasn't hit one out yet? Well, not exactly. He's also not pressing either.

"Last year it took me forever to hit my first one," Stanton said Thursday referring to how it took him 14 games and 38 at-bats before he finally put one out.

"When I came to the big leagues it took me forever, too [9 games, 32 at-bats]. I don't know. Maybe I need more power. I've got to take some from Hanley and Omar [Infante]. Better yet, I need to play second base. That's where all the guys are hitting home runs."

All joking aside, Stanton said the good news is he's starting to feel healthier. 

"For the most part yesterday and for the past two days, I finally feel like I've got my legs back under me a little more," Stanton said. "It's just maintaining it, coping with it. Whatever I'm going through, though, it doesn't matter. I just have to go out there and do my job."

Couple quick tidbits from the pre-game locker room:

> Manager Ozzie Guillen spent about five minutes talking about the good attitude he's seen from Hanley Ramirez as he's rediscovered his swing at the plate this season. Guillen said he's enjoyed how Ramirez, who battled shoulder and back injuries last season, has celebrated during his recent string of home runs and doesn't consider it hot-dogging -- just a sign of pure fun.

“I saw some stuff here the last couple of days like, Oh my God, I never seen anybody hit a home run and turn to the right field line saying something to somebody,” Guillen said with a grin.

“He’s running the bases and he’s like this [arm outstretched]. That’s the way I want him to be. He was kissing everybody in the stands. I don’t know how many family he’s got there. But left field, right field, behind the [plate]. When you play every day as a superstar, good times last longer. That’s what Hanley Ramirez should be. Smile, happy, swagger. Cocky. That’s the Hanley we want, not just me.”

One thing Guillen has made an effort to do is take the pressure off Ramirez when it comes to his defense at third base.

"Yesterday he made a mistake at third base. First thing I told him was 'Don't put your head down. Let me handle your errors'," Guillen said. "I think every time he makes a mistake at third base he feels embarrassed. You can see that. I told him you make mistakes that's our fault. We put you there. Make sure you make the plays your supposed to make. Make errors, I'll take the blame, full responsibility."

> Second baseman Omar Infante, who sat out Wednesday's game with soreness in his left groin and hamstring, said he felt better when he woke up Thursday. Guillen, though, said he's in no rush to get Infante back into the lineup and would consider resting him again even when the Marlins hit the road Friday for the first of three against the Nationals.

"Obviously you want him in the game," Guillen said. "But if he doesn't give me the right answer, we'll play [Donnie] Murphy and give him some rest and get him back -- I don't want to say I want to say 100 percent -- but good enough to go and play without risk of [further] injury."

> Expect left fielder Logan Morrison, still recovering from his own knee issues, to get the day off Friday and possibly Sunday when the Nationals send left-handers Ross Detwiler and Gio Gonzalez to the mound. Guillen said he has no problem getting his bench some playing time.

> Although we heard Guillen pushed for Donovan Solano to make the team ahead of Murphy, who struggled this spring, Wednesday's performance by Murphy certainly earned some points with the manager. "It creates confidence," Guillen said of Murphy's 2-for-3, 3 RBI effort Wednesday.

"When you're not an everyday player and have the type of game he had its awesome. It's not easy coming from the bench. I never expect guys coming off the bench to have a lot from them. But when those guys contribute -- defensively, base-running, at-bats -- that's something you appreciate."

LINEUPS

> MARLINS (6-4): 1. Jose Reyes SS, 2. Emilio Bonifacio CF, 3. Hanley Ramirez 3B, 4. Logan Morrison LF, 5. Giancarlo Stanton RF, 6. Greg Dobbs 1B, 7. Donnie Murphy 2B, 8. Brett Hayes C, 9. Ricky Nolasco P.

> CUBS (3-9): 1. David DeJesus RF, 2. Darwin Barney 2B, 3. Starlin Castro SS, 4. Alfonso Soriano LF, 5. Ian Stewart 3B, 6. Bryan LaHair 1B, 7. Geovany Soto C, 8. Marlon Byrd CF, 9. Jeff Samardzija P.