Fish Bytes

Closer frustrations continue for Cishek; Mayberry Jr. robbed Pierre of heroics

PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Cishek hasn't had many opportunities to protect a lead late in the game this season, but he blew another one of those rare chances Tuesday night against the Phillies.

With the Marlins ahead 3-2 in the 10th, the 26-year old right-hander gave up a solo home run to John Mayberry Jr. on what turned out to be a 2-2 slider that was just too flat according to manager Mike Redmond. The home run was the third Cishek has given up in 24 appearances. He gave up three homers all of last season in 68 appearances.

"It's tough. Your team is relying on you to put the game away. They fought so hard. And now it's all on your hands. You need to get three outs, right then and there and shut the door. It didn't work out," a disappointed Cishek said afterward.

"I'm feeling great. Mentally I feel good. Today I felt good. A couple of pitches got away from me, but I thought I made a couple good pitches too. Other than the slider to Mayberry everything felt good. Mentally I feel better than I had all year."

Cishek did appear to be turning a corner before Tuesday's struggles. After giving up three earned runs in a loss to the Reds back on May 16, he had given up just one earned run over his last seven appearances (1.35). Then Mayberry got him.

PIERRE OVERSHADOWED

If not for Mayberry's Jr.'s two homers in extra innings, Juan Pierre would have been the story and the hero Tuesday.

The 35-year old used his speed to manufacture the go-ahead run in the 10th, drawing a nine-pitch walk, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and then stealing third off former Phillies teammate Antonio Bastardo. He then scored on a wild pitch.

"Our offense has struggled to generate runs. That's just a guy trying to make something happen, be aggressive, and he did," Redmond said. "I wish it would have held up because that was a great effort by him to get himself in scoring position and score on a wild pitch. We just couldn't hold them up."

Pierre said playing with Bastardo last season helped him swipe third base.

"He did in the inside move which he didn't do much last year when I saw him," Pierre said. "I just figured he did one for show. We call those money bags where you do it late in the game to try and score a run. It worked out well."

WEDNESDAY'S LINEUPS

Marlins (16-43): 1. Juan Pierre LF, 2. Ed Lucas 3B, 3. Derek Dietrich 2B, Marcell Ozuna RF, 5. Justin Ruggiano CF, 6. Casey Kotchman 1B, 7. Adeiny Hechavarria SS, 8. Jeff Mathis C, 9. Jacob Turner RHP.

Marlins to work Coghlan at 3B, Ozuna in CF; McKeon recovering from successful heart bypass surgery

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Redmond hasn't really had the chance to manage the team he thought he would have this season. But nearly 60 games in it appears he's getting a lot closer to it. 

With All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton playing in his first rehab games Tuesday in Jupiter, first baseman Logan Morrison nearing the end of his rehab stint in Triple A New Orleans (it ends June 8th) and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi scheduled to make his third rehab start in Double A Jacksonville Tuesday, it's becoming more and more likely the Marlins could have as many as three huge pieces back on the team sometime next week when they return home from their current road trip.

In anticipation of those arrivals, Redmond said the Marlins will be working Chris Coghlan  at third base and rookie Marcell Ozuna in center and left. Coghlan, who has been red-hot at the plate, posting a .390 batting average with eight RBI since being inserted into the lineup on May 18th, said Tuesday he's been taking grounders in the infeld all season with infield coach Perry Hill before games and during batting practice in anticipation of a possible switch.

"Looking down the road we want to try to keep [Coghlan's] bat in there -- somewhere in that lineup," Redmond said. "That could be a spot where we could get him some at-bats. We're going to start working on that and then possibly moving Ozuna into a center lit bit, taking some fly balls in center and left for when Stanton gets here. We want to have some flexibility there. Now is the time to start moving guys around and preparing for these guys' arrival."

Coghlan hasn't played third base regularly since 2009 when he was in New Orleans, but said Tuesday the hot corner has always been his natural position. He played third for three seasons at Ole Miss and then his first year of rookie ball before the Marlins moved him to second. It wasn't until he got called up to the big leagues that Coghlan became an outfielder. Coghlan spent this past winter playing second base in the Dominican.

"I've played it longer than any other position by far," Coghlan said of third base. "Honestly I look at it only as a value. I saw what [Alfredo] Amezaga did, what [Emilio] Bonifacio did. You're just thinking you can help the team when you can play different spots. That's kind of how I envision myself -- to play wherever to get my bat in the lineup."

Ozuna has said in the past he has no problem playing center field and believes he has the speed to do it. He certainly has the arm. 

As for his bat, Coghlan said the change in his swing is simply "biomechanical."

"By the naked eye you wouldn't be able to tell," Coghlan said. "But anybody who sees slow motion film they would be able to tell. It's basically being ready to hit and smash a pitch every time. I'm slugging the baseball. My mindset is different."

MCKEON RECOVERING

Former World Series-winning manager Jack McKeon, 82, had successful heart bypass surgery on Monday and is recovering in the hospital.

"From what I've heard his surgery went well. It was a long day for him yesterday and the family," Redmond said. "All of us who have been around Jack are relieved his surgery was successful and that he's doing well. We just hope and wish him a speedy recovery. He's such a great guy. We miss Jack and can't wait for him to get back."

> How much time will Stanton need in rehab? "I don't know how many games it's going to take for him to feel like he can come up and play," Redmond said. "I'm hoping two."

Stanton reportedly will DH in rehab game today in Jupiter; Mock draft has Marlins taking outfielder

According to the Jupiter Hammerheads' team website, Marlins All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton will play in his first rehab game tonight since going on the disabled list April 30th with a strained right hamstring.

He is expected to DH and bat third in game one of a double-header against the Clearwater Threshers at 5:05 p.m.

First baseman Joe Mahoney and second baseman Donovan Solano are also playing for the Hammerheads.

Mahoney was placed on the disabled list April 28 with a strained hamstring. He is expected to play first base and bat cleanup in game one. In five games (19 at-bats) on assignment with Jupiter this season, Mahoney is batting .368 with one home run and one double. He hasn't played in a minor league game since May 21.

Solano has been out since May 6 with a strained left intercostal muscle. He is expected to bat second and play second base for the Hammerheads. This will be Solano's first rehab action as well.

OLMOS IMPRESSIVE

It wasn't exactly the pressure of having to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning, but when Edgar Olmos made his major league debut in the sixth inning Monday night for the Marlins it wasn't exactly an easy spot either.

"Like I said we were going to ease him right into the game -- bases loaded with Ryan Howard," joked Marlins manager Mike Redmond following Monday's 7-2 loss. "That's how we like to do it with the Fish, ease them right into the game."

Olmos didn't disappoint, forcing Howard into an inning-ending ground out. He came out for the seventh and gave up a lead off single to the red-hot Domonic Brown. But the 23-year old left-hander quickly worked himself out of trouble when he got Delmon Young to bounce into a double play. Olmos then got Erik Kratz, who homered earlier in the game, to fly out to right.

"I thought he looked great," Redmond said. "That's a pretty good fastball. Easily 97 [miles per hour] it looked like. The scouting reports on him and what I've heard from guys is he's got a power arm. And he definitely showed that. I thought he handled that situation very well and was very composed. He did a nice job getting through that."

MOCK DRAFTS HAVE MARLINS TAKING OUTFIELDER

If you ask the experts the Marlins are going to end up taking an outfielder from Georgia when they make the sixth overall pick during Thursday's MLB Draft.

ESPN's Keith Law has Miami taking five-tool center field prospect Austin Meadows (6-3, 200) from Grayson High in Loganville, Ga.

Baseball America's draft experts have the Marlins taking Clint Frazier, a 6-1, 190-pound outfielder out of Loganville High. Frazier has explosive bat speed and project as more of a corner outfielder.

Yelich leaves Double A game with lower abdominal discomfort; Stanton running the bases

Prized prospect Christian Yelich left his Monday afternoon game at Double A Jacksonville with discomfort in his lower abdominal area according to skipper Andy Barkett. 

Yelich, hitting .262 with six homers and 28 RBI for the Suns, injured himself diving for a ball in center field Sunday night, but "didn't mention anything about it" until Monday.

"He thought it was a little dull pain, but as he was playing the game [Monday] he was feeling it a little bit more," Barkett told the Suns' radio network. "So as a precautionary measure we took him out to get him checked out, see how he's feeling."

Yelich, the No. 2 prospect in the organization behind pitcher Jose Fernandez, is expected to be called up to the big leagues at some point this season. Depending on what kind of shape his abdomen is in after his MRI that might put the breaks on those plans. 

VIDEO INTERVIEW OF BURKETT

> Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Giancarlo Stanton ran the bases in Single A Jupiter Monday, a sign of progress for the injured All-Star right fielder who has been out with a grade two hamstring strain since April 30. Redmond said he still isn't sure when Stanton will begin playing in rehab games.

"Hopefully everything will go well with then he's getting close to playing in a game I would think," Redmond said. "At this point we go day-to-day and see how he feels."

> Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will make his third rehab start Tuesday for the Suns. Eovaldi went 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a nine combined innings pitched in his first two starts with Jupiter. "We'll see how he throws and make a decision from there," Redmond said. 

> Third baseman Placido Polanco was pulled from Monday's lineup because he's battling a cold. "He's been playing a lot and it just made sense to get [Ed] Lucas back in there and give [Polanco] another day to recuperate and feel better," Redmond said. 

MONDAY'S LINEUPS

> Marlins (16-41): 1. Juan Pierre LF, 2. Ed Lucas 3B, 2. Derek Dietrich 2B, 4. Marcell Ozuna RF, 5. Chris Coghlan CF, 6. Casey Kotchman 1B, 7. Adeiny Hechavarria SS, 8. Rob Brantly C, 9. Tom Koehler RHP.

> Phillies (27-30): 1. Ben Revere CF, 2. Cesar Hernandez 2B, 3. Jimmy Rollins SS, 4. Ryan Howard 1B, 5. Domonic Brown LF, 6. Delmon Young RF, 7. Erik Kratz C, 8. Freddy Galvis 3B, 9. Kyle Kendrick RHP.

At 31, Ed Lucas oldest non-pitcher to make MLB debut with Marlins

Joe Strong was 37 when he made his major league debut with the Marlins in 2000, which is the same year in which another relatively old player -- 30-year-old Chuck Smith -- also made his MLB debut with the Fish.

Until a few days ago, Strong and Smith, both pitchers, were the only "30 somethings" to make their big-league debuts with the Marlins.

Then 31-year-old Ed Lucas hit the scene. Lucas became the oldest non-pitcher to debut with the Marlins, and he's making quite an impression. On Sunday, Lucas had a 4-hit performance in the Marlins' 11-6 win over the Mets.

"It's been an unbelievable ride thus far," Lucas said. "The first couple of days here, I was just trying to get acclimated, and trying to knock all those original milestones out of the way. I got my first hit, and we've been winning. I saw my name in the lineup today and today was the first time I got to the park and said, 'Okay, I'm here. Let's play baseball.' It's not so much about me anymore. It's about the team."

Except so much of the last few days has been about Lucas, an Ivy Leaguer (Dartmouth) who is so articulate that he says "thus far" instead of "so far" and has been a breath of fresh air on a team that could use a heavy dose of it. I mean, the Marlins have been winning in his presence.

"I will take absolutely zero credit for that," Lucas said, laughing.

Lucas' new teammates admire his perseverance, hanging on to his dream through 10 minor league seasons, and are openly pulling for the guy.

"It's a great story," said pitcher Kevin Slowey. "We've got a handful of great stories in this clubhouse, and Ed's right at the top of the list, the way he's persevered. I don't think anybody would have blamed him if four, or five, or six, or seven, or even eight years in, he said, 'Hey wait, guys. It's time for me to go ahead and start my next life,' which we'll all inevitably get to. But to see him come up here, have an opportunity and succeed, and be so joyful about it, it's infectious. He's the kind of guy who's perfect for this team."

Here are the oldest players to make their MLB debuts with the Marlins: 1. Joe Strong (37.245 years, 2000); 2. Ed Lucas (31,009 years, 2013); 3. Chuck Smith (30.236 years, 2000); 4. Joe Dillon (29.289 years, 2005); Tommy Phelps (29.027 years, 2003).

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Chris Coghlan also had four hits Sunday, making it the 16th time in franchise history that the Marlins had at least two players collect four or more hits in the same game.

The others (in chronological order): 5/29/1995 -- Terry Pendleton and Alex Arias ; 4/7/1996 -- Edgar Renteria and Alex Arias; 7/15/1996 -- Gary Sheffield and Terry Pendleton; 4/7/1996 -- Jeff Conine and Andre Dawson; 8/10/1999 -- Dave Berg and Luis Castillo; 9/14/2002 -- Juan Encarnacion and Kevin Millar; 7/1/2003 -- Luis Castillo, Miguel Cabrera and Ivan Rodriguez; 6/15/2005 -- Juan Pierre and Paul Lo Duca; 7/5/2006 -- Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham; 9/11/2006 -- Dan Uggla and Cody Ross; 7/22/2007 -- Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham; 7/4/2008 -- Mike Jacobs and Jorge Cantu; 8/9/2009 -- Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan; 6/11/2010 -- Chris Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez; 8/20/2012 -- Jose Reyes and John Buck.

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Had Greg Dobbs not homered in Sunday's eighth inning, the Marlins' power drought at home would have reached 11 games without a home run. To put that into perspective, since 1993 -- the year the Marlins joined the majors -- only one other team has had a longer drought in their own ballpark. Last year's San Francisco Giants went 16 consecutive games at AT&T Park without connecting. The Giants, naturally, then went on to win the World Series. The Marlins have now hit exactly two home runs in their past 17 games at Marlins Park, prompting one scout I spoke with to quip about the Home Run Sculpture: "That thing will rust before it wears out from use."

Roster undergoes reshaping after Marlins complete sweep

     After finishing off the Mets for their first sweep of the season, the Marlins announced a couple of roster moves before heading out on a six-game road trip to Philadelphia and New York.

     The Marlins activated first baseman Casey Kotchman from the disabled list, as expected, and in what was a bit of a surprise, announced that left-handed pitcher Edgar Olmos would be called up from Double A Jacksonville in time for the Phillies series that starts tomorrow.

     To make room, the Marlins optioned outfielder Jordan Brown to Triple A New Orleans and announced that left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc would be designated for assignment on Monday. LeBlanc came out of the bullpen on Sunday to pick up the win -- his first of the season -- when the Marlins rallied for the win.

     Olmos, 23, was a third-round pick for the Marlins in 2008. Used primarily as a starter his first five seasons in the minors, Olmos went 8-32 with a 4.88 ERA. But in 19 relief appearances this season for the Suns, Olmos has gone 4-2 with a 1.27 ERA.

Marcell Ozuna thinking hits, not home runs; Casey Kotchman nearing return from DL

Marcell Ozuna takes a 16-game hitting streak into today's game with the Mets. That's the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest ever by a Marlins rookie. Edgar Renteria hit in 22 straight for the Marins in 1996.

Before beginning the streak, Ozuna said he fell into a bit of a rut at the plate when he took aim for the fences by trying to pull the ball. It was when he changed his approach by  hitting toward the middle of the field that he said he began having success.

"My mentality right now is keep (my average) at .300," said Ozuna, who began the day hitting .330.

Ozuna has yet to display the kind of power he showed in the minors when he averaged 23 home runs from 2010-12 but expects that to improve with time.

"It'll come later," he said. "I'm just trying to hit the ball right now."

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First baseman Casey Kotchman could be activated from the disabled list on Monday when the Marlins open a six-game road trip to Philadelphia and New York, according to manager Mike Redmond. Kotchman,who has been out since the second game of the season with a hamstring injury, has been serving a rehabilitation assignment at Single A Jupiter and is eligible to come off the 60-day DL on Monday.

"He's close," Redmond said. "He could end up traveling with us on Sunday."

________________

Redmond has decided to pair veteran catcher Jeff Mathis with the Marlins' young starters, which is why he'll behind the plate later today when Jose Fernandez takes the mound for MIami. Mathis was also in the lineup on Friday for Jacob Turner's start.

"I like him catching a couple of our younger guys," Redmond said. "I just think it's more comforting for our younger pitchers -- not that Brantly can't do it. I thought it was really important last night for Turner, in his first start of the year, to have a veteran guy back there to guide him through it.  The same for Jose."

Redmond said Brantly "is still going to do the majority of the catching."

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Ed Lucas had visions of following in the footsteps of former Dartmouth quarterback Jay Fiedler as a college freshman. But the 31-year-old Lucas, who collected his first major league hit last night, scrapped the plan after his freshman season and turned his attention to baseball.

"He was our knight in shining armor on the football team," Lucas said of Fiedler, who was all-Ivy at Dartmouth from 1991-93, seven years before Lucas arrived on campus. "I went there to play football but I was only on the team my freshman year. Third string. Never got in a game. Got to make the road trips. Carried the clipboard. Had the hat on and the headset."

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TODAY'S LINEUPS:

Marlins: 1. Pierre, lf; 2. Polanco, 3b; 3. Dietrich, 2b; 4. Ozuna, rf; 5. Coghlan, cf; 6. Dobbs, 1b; 7. Hechavarria, ss; 8. Mathis, c; 9. Fernandez, p.

Mets: 1. Quintanilla, ss; 2. Murphy, 2b; 3. Wright, 3b; 4. Duda, lf; 5. Buck, c; 6. Ankiel, cf; 7. Davis, 1b; 8. Valdespin, rf; 9. McHugh, p.

Umpires: HP -- Chad Fairchild; 1B -- Jeff Kellogg; 2B -- Eric Cooper; 3B -- Paul Schrieber 

Jeff Allison: 10 Years Later

Monday marks the 10th anniversary of arguably the Marlins' most frustrating first-round draft pick in franchise history. Not frustrating in the sense of picking a player who failed to make it or didn't live up to initial expectations. There have been plenty of examples of those along the way: Josh Booty (1994) Jaime Jones (1995) Aaron Akin (1997) and Brett Sinkbeil (2006), just to name a few.

But the selection of Peabody, Mass., prep star Jeff Allison with the 16th overall pick in 2003 turned into a different kind of frustrating in the sense that the young pitcher had all the markings of a future star until his chronic bouts with drug addition ruined his baseball career and nearly took his life. Allison never threw a pitch in the majors.

With this year's draft set for Thursday, MLB Network will be taking a look back at the '03 draft when the Marlins picked Allison and then watched helplessly over the ensuing years as the promise belonging to the pitcher began to crumble. MLB Network will be airing a profile of Allison, contrasting his troubled past with the present, at 5 p.m. Sunday. Peter Gammons reports. Here's are some excerpts, as well as a video clip:

Jeff Allison on if he ever finds himself saying “what if?”: All the time. I was a number one pick for a Major League Baseball team. I felt like I could do whatever I wanted.

High school friend Andrew Coppola on opposing players facing Allison in high school: Opposing players would get congratulations on their bench for fouling a pitch off.

Allison on his Draft day experience: Once the middle of the first round hit, 14, 15 and 16, I remember my computer went off…I was never able to hear myself being called up on the Draft board.

Allison on being selected in the first round by the Marlins: Immediately, emotions ran high. It’s probably the one time that I cried and cried a lot, and I wasn’t ashamed to.

Allison on ending up in jail: The most ironic part about being where I was, was about 20 yards across the street was the Greensboro Grasshoppers’ stadium that I played in the year before, and I’m sitting there watching their games on TV at night.

Allison on the moment where he said enough was enough: I was so burnt out. I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I remember sitting there on a tree at 4:30 in the morning. It was raining out. At any given point, I could have given in to [the] temptation of not wanting to be here anymore, and I didn’t. I stood up and I walked 33 miles at 4:30 in the morning to get home. So, that was my bottom. When I got home, my mother sat there with a candle lit on a mantle because she told me, she goes, “Every time you leave, I light a candle for you because I never know if you’re going to come back.”

Allison on being named to the 2008 Florida State League All-Star team: I cried on the bus when they told me. I’ll never forget it. You think of it like, it’s an A-ball All-Star team, but you know what? I went from dying twice to being an All-Star in baseball. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the big leagues. To me, I did it, I made it and I was proud.

Allison on dedicating his life to helping kids fight addiction: In my personal life, I’m still fighting what’s being tossed in these younger kids’ direction. I’ll do anything. I’ll go to war with these kids to fight that disease of addiction. That’s why every single day, I wake up and [if] I get to help at least one person, I did my job. And when I do that right, I don’t wonder “What if?” I don’t have to."

Jake Marisnick belts grand slams in back-to-back innings

      While the Marlins were losing their ninth straight on Thursday, Jake Marisnick was unleashing up in the Florida panhandle, belting two grand slams in back-to-back innings for Double A Jacksonville. This qualifies as reason for hope for the punchless Marlins.

       Not that Marisnick, one of the organization's top prospects, is regarded as a big power guy. He's averaged about one homer for every 41 at bats so far in his minor league career. But it's a sign of promise for the Marlins, who are banking on Marisnick and others to turn the franchise around in years to come.

       As for clubbing grand slams in back-to-back innings, it's happened six times in the majors, most recently by Josh Willingham in 2009 when "Hammer" was with Washington. Nobody tops Fernando Tatis, though. Tatis connected on two grand slams in the same inning for the Cardinals in a 1999 game. 

Turner expected to make 2013 Marlins debut Friday versus Mets

Jacob Turner, the 22-year old right-hander the Marlins acquired in their trade with the Tigers last season, will make his 2013 debut for the Marlins on Friday against the Mets. The announcement is expected to be made by the team after Thursday's game.

Turner went 0-3 with a 9.69 ERA in 13 innings of work and four starts this spring, and struggled initially when he began the season in Triple A New Orleans, giving up 11 combined earned runs in his first three starts.

But since then, he's gone at least six innings and given up three earned runs or less in his last seven starts for the Zephyrs. He's now 3-4 wit a 4.47 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 14 walks in Triple A.

Turner, a 2009 first round pick, went 1-4 with a 3.38 ERA in seven starts for the Marlins after being acquired in July and called up in late August.