Fish Bytes

Josh Johnson looking forward to Monday night start versus Marlins 'post-season legend' Josh Beckett

Monday night's series opener between the Marlins and Red Sox doesn't have a catchy slogan yet.

Marlins Opening Day starter Josh Johnson, coming off his best start of the season, will face Marlins World Series hero Josh Beckett on Monday night.

But if it did an easy choice would be the Battle of the Josh's -- as in former Marlins ace Josh Beckett versus current Marlins ace Josh Johnson.

"It's pretty cool," Johnson said of the scheduled match up. "He's a post-season legend almost."

Beckett, 32, wasn't almost a post-season legend for the Marlins. He is a legend. 

He was the World Series MVP in 2003 and almost single-handedly beat the Yankees in the Fall Classic, tossing a complete game shutout on three days rest in the Game 6 clincher at Yankee Stadium. Before that, he helped the Marlins rally from a 3-1 deficit against the Cubs, tossing a complete-game shutout in Game 5 of the NLCS and then four solid innings of relief in a Game 7 victory.

By the time Johnson first got called up to the big leagues in September 2005, Beckett was wrapping up his five-year run with the Marlins. Shortly after the 2005 season ended, the Marlins traded Beckett to the Red Sox along with Mike Lowell for Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez. But before Beckett was traded Johnson did get to spend some time with him on the field.

"He was pretty much the veteran guy here," Johnson said. "So I pretty much followed him around to see what he was doing and did that."

Beckett has never faced the Marlins in the regular season since being traded to Boston. He's gone 88-53 with a combined 4.04 ERA, 1,065 strikeouts and 316 walks and been selected to the All-Star team three times since being acquired by the Red Sox. He was the ALCS MVP in 2007 and has won two more World Series rings with Boston.

A fathead sticker of World Series MVP Josh Beckett on this Sports Illustrated cover can be found in the hallway of the press level at Marlins Park.

Johnson is looking forward to a big crowd for the game.

"It should be fun," Johnson said. "That's what we want. The more people the better even if some are Boston fans. Quite a few of them are going to be. That's alright as long as we get a lot of people here. The atmosphere is going to be good."

Johnson (3-4, 4.56 ERA) is coming off his best start of the season when he went a season-high 7 2/3 innings in a 2-1 loss to the Braves. He's 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 13 walks since May began. The Marlins are 6-1 in those starts.

"You never really have it figured out. But you can take steps in the right direction," Johnson said. "Last bullpen was good again. Hopefully, I'll just continue that and take it into the next start."

Recalled Gaby Sanchez on his trip down to the minors: "I figured out a couple little things"

After being sent to the minors three weeks ago to try and solve his woes at the plate, first baseman Gaby Sanchez was recalled to the big leagues on Sunday morning and reinserted into the Marlins starting lineup.

First baseman Gaby Sanchez has hit just .215 with 7 HRs and 39 RBI in the 104 games he's played in since making the All-Star team.

Sanchez, who hit just .197 with 1 home run and 11 RBI in 122 at-bats to start the season before being demoted on May 19th, hit .310 with three homers and 10 RBI in 19 games for Triple A New Orleans.

"I'm just here to play baseball," said Sanchez, who earned a trip to the All-Star Game last season after getting off to a hot first half (.293, 13 HRs, 50 RBI).

"I figured out a couple little things. Nothing too major. It was just going down there and playing, getting repetition. It was just playing really."

Sanchez said he wasn't shocked the Marlins sent him down after getting off to a slow start. In the 104 games he's played since the All-Star Game, Sanchez has hit just .215 (76 hits in 353 at-bats) with seven homers and 39 RBI.

"Knowing I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing and wasn't producing and knowing they weren't happy with what I was doing you know there is always that possibility of being sent down," Sanchez said.

"It's not what you've done in the past or have done, it's what you're doing right now to help the team out. As ballplayers we know that. It's something you can't get mad about because you're trying to help the ballclub win. If it's you getting sent down, then that's what it is."

Asked if he had figured out what was troubling him at the plate and led to him getting sent down, Sanchez responded: "I wasn't getting hits. That's all it basically is. I just wasn't getting any hits."

"You can always go back and start at looking at things always and see things," he continued. "Even when you are doing good there are things you aren't doing perfectly. That's baseball. You're going to get hits. Balls are going to fall and balls aren't going to fall. Balls weren't falling for me. I wasn't getting hits and I went down there kind of cleared my mind up and did what I needed to do."

Logan Morrison, who filled in for Sanchez at first base when he was sent down, has returned to left field. 

SUNDAY'S LINEUP

> Marlins (31-28): 1. Jose Reyes SS, 2. Omar Infante 2B, 3. Hanley Ramirez 3B, 4. Giancarlo Stanton RF, 5. Logan Morrison LF, 6. Gaby Sanchez 1B, 7. Chris Coghlan CF, 8. Brett Hayes C, 9. Anibal Sanchez P.