Fish Bytes

Josh Johnson impressive in first BP session

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez made his way camp Thursday watching several pitchers toss batting practice for the first time this spring. He saw reliever Tim Wood throw, closer Leo Nunez, Andrew Miller and right-handers Hayden Penn and Rick VandenHurk. 

 "When I go around, the only thing I want to see is guys throw the ball over the plate," Gonzalez said. "Penn and Vandy threw the ball well. Andrew Miller threw the ball fine."

Gonzalez didn't bother to stop and watch All-Star Josh Johnson throw. But if he needs a quick scouting report on his Opening Day starter, he needs to only ask Wes Helms or catcher John Baker. Both were more than impressed with Johnson, who signed a four-year, $39 million extension this offseason.

"It was JJ's first live BP and I can tell you he is at where most normal pitchers are at midseason," Helms said. "He's just one of those guys who has a gift. He's a freak of nature. He's the Hanley [Ramirez] of pitchers. He looked really good today. His ball was moving really good, exploding. His change up did too. He's keeping it down."

Johnson threw only a combined 30 pitches to Helms, Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan and first baseman Logan Morrison, but was able to mix in several changeups, a pitch he began tweaking last year after meeting with Giants starter and friend Matt Cain.

Baker, who caught JJ's session, said the biggest challenge Johnson faces is bring the speed of his changeup down. He said the plan is for Johnson to work on that plenty in spring training. " When you throw 97 miles per hour, you're in a scary spot when it come to the changeup," Baker said. "If you throw it 88, 89, they may hit it and think its a fastball. If he throws his changeup 84-85, I'll be happy."

> STIRRING SPEECH: New first base coach Dave Collins gave such an uplifting speech before the Marlins first full-team workout Wednesday it left Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria raving. So what did Collins say? Apparently enough to give 23-year old right hander Ryan Tucker chills.

"It was a good speech, motivating," said Tucker, who is trying to rebound from a tough season in which had quad tendon surgery and an oblique tear. 

"It was basically about just to go out there and give it your best because you don't know how long you opportunity is going to last. For me, after having a pretty long off season (his wife gave birth to twins) just hearing that solidified it for me. You really don't know how long you can be out here for. You have to take advantage of it. [My kids are] why I pretty much changed my attitude around. I'll admit, I really wasn't as dedicated at times as I needed to be. Now, I'm ready to give that effort. You don't know how long your going to be here as a person. How long this game is going to be around. I'm appreciative."

> Gonzalez said Ricky Nolasco will start in the Marlins first exhibition game next Wednesday against the University of Miami. 

Anibal's return could be boost Marlins need

Anibal Sanchez's return to the Marlins' rotation Friday night turned out be even better than what manager Fredi Gonzalez was hoping for. Gonzalez set a goal for Sanchez to reach 100 pitches and last between five to seven innings.

Sanchez gave up one earned run on 82 pitches and took a no-hitter into the sixth, striking out seven and retiring 14 in a row at one point after giving up two first-inning walks. He would have pitched longer, according to Gonzalez, if not for the long layoff between innings (the Marlins scored four runs in the seventh, and a local singer took a little long singing God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch).

‘‘The thing that was really nice to watch was he added and subtracted on his fastball," Gonzalez said. ‘‘A couple times he'd [throw] 94 [miles per hour], then he would back off and hit 91. He threw his breaking pitches for strikes. His command was good. He challenged hitters. For me, he has to have confidence now his arm is going to hold up."

The Marlins' rotation could certainly use a boost. Florida starters rank 19th in baseball in ERA (4.60) and have thrown just 692-2/3 innings after Friday -- 24th fewest in the league.

‘He's going to be the most rested guy in the rotation," Gonzalez said. "Everybody is over 100 plus innings and he's going to be the freshest guy. He's absolutely a plus for us."

How big a plus? Pitching coach Mark Wiley said Sanchez could be as big a boost as Josh Beckett was to the Marlins in 2003. Beckett missed two months (May, June) and turned out to be the Marlins best pitcher in the playoffs because he was fresh at the end of the season.

"Every team would like to have a fresh arm at the end of the season," Wiley said. "Sometimes, teams will bring up a guy from the minor leagues that hasn’t pitched that much and he’ll give a team a boost, a guy on the disabled list will come back and give you a boost. That happened her in 2003 with Beckett. He was out for over a month and came back and throughout the playoffs and World Series he had the strongest arm in baseball because he had a month and a half off. There is always that possibility when you get a fresh arm that it can really help you. After what I saw last night, I’m hoping he can stay there and he can move on and he can be a major part of what we’re trying to do."

Here's what Wiley said he liked in Sanchez's start: "I think he showed the kind of arm strength he needs not only for his fastball, but for his other pitches to be able to duplicate them and be aggressive with him. I think his overall strength, not only helps his fastball but it shows up in his changeup and his breaking ball. He’s able to maintain his arm slot and release point is more consistent when he has that strength. That’s what he showed last night."

Andrew Miller gets hurt after another poor outing

    According to Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, pitcher Andrew Miller rolled his right ankle Wednesday afternoon during his second minor league start with Triple-A New Orleans.

     Gonzalez said the play happened while Miller was chasing down a bunt down one of the base lines. Prior to the injury, however, Miller had another poor outing.

In one inning, Miller gave up four earned runs, while walking two and hitting a batter. In two starts, Miller has now gone 0-2 with 10 earned runs and 11 walks, six hits and eight strikeouts.

The development raises the question of who will be the Marlins' 5th starter for the near future? And do they now feel added urgency to make a trade for a starting pitcher?

There's of course Sean West, who pitched will earlier this season, but he may not be ready. Anibal Sanchez needs more time to recover. And even if Burke Badenhop starts Saturday, is he ready to be a part of the rotation?

Gonzalez said the team is having discussions on ways to improve the team, but did not elaborate. And he has yet to officially name a starter for Saturday's game against the Cubs, which is a day after the MLB trade deadline.

Here is tonight's lineup for the Marlins: 1. Coghlan lf; 2. Bonifacio 3b; 3. Ramirez ss; 4. Cantu 3b; 5. Hermida rf; 6. Uggla 2b; 7. Ross cf; 8. Baker c; 9. Johnson p.

A-Rod will return Sunday says Girardi

Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Alex Rodriguez will play his first regular season game in front of his hometown Sunday as planned.

Manager Joe Girardi addressed A-Rod's absence from the lineup for the first two games of the series again Saturday and reiterated it was fatigue the reason he was benched.

"I think he understood and knew this is what was best for him," Girardi said. ‘‘Everything is always [blown up] when it comes Alex. We talked to him yesterday about how he has to tell us if he's fatigued. If he's not going to tell us he is, than I'll make the decision for him."

Teammate Johnny Damon said it was probably a good thing Rodriguez missed the first two games of the series against the Marlins. "Alex has been struggling. He's not at full strength," Damon said. "This is his spring training. One day doesn't always do it. Maybe he can even take Sunday off and then we're off on Monday and he can get four days off. It depends on how we're playing. Joe Girardi is a great baseball man. He understands slumps. In the long run this will be better for our team."

WEST HAS BEEN HURTING: Sean West had a tough outing Friday night against the Yankees, giving up a career- high 10 hits and five earned runs in the shorting outing of his career (four innings).

But West's second career loss was not nearly as difficult for him to deal with than his previous start against the Blue Jays on June 10th. That day, a funeral was taking place for his 70-year old grandmother, Mimi, back home in Louisiana.

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said he asked West if he wanted to skip the start and head home, but the 23-year old rookie refused, telling Gonzalez "my grandmother would have wanted me to pitch." West did and beat the Blue Jays, pitching 5-2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs to pick up his second win.

"He handled it great," Gonzalez said. "People talk about the Yankees and this kind of stuff. How much more difficult is to pitch and compete and win when something like that happens with your family?"

West said his grandmother had been immobilized for nearly six years after a stroke. "I don't want people to make a big deal about it," West said. "I know she's in a better place now."

SANCHES ROLLING: The Marlins have put together one of baseball's better bullpens this season with a collection of pitchers plucked from the recycling bin.

Right-hander Brian Sanches has quietly become another example since being called up from Triple A New Orleans on May 18. The 30-year old has made 13 appearances and given up just one earned run -- a home run to Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury earlier this week -- in 15 innings.

Before this season, Sanches had a career 6.12 ERA in 40 major league games.

Saturday, Gonzalez called Sanches ‘a tremendous find.'

"I'm just trying to stay aggressive in the strike zone, stay aggressive toward the hitters," said Sanches, who said a developed cutter has made a big difference for him.‘‘If I get beat, I get beat being aggressive. My past appearances us here I've got into trouble being too fine with pitches. I'm just not doing that anymore."

> Anibal Sanchez, on the disabled list for the second time this season with a shoulder sprain, received clearance from doctors Friday night to resume playing catch and did so Saturday.

But Gonzalez said it will be a long while before Sanchez pitches on the mound again. When asked if he thought Sanchez could return after the All-Star break, he declined to speculate saying only "it's going to be a long time."

"[The doctor] told me the same thing as last time 'You have to wait until you feel better and you have to do things little by little and have patience," Sanchez said. "I feel a little discomfort. But that's going to go away. Bottomline, I just want to get it right so when I do come back, I don't have to deal with it anymore."

West takes loss as "learning experience"

It's not often a 22-year old left-hander gets to take on a $200 million batting order.

So, despite the fact he got shelled by the Yankees Friday night in what was by far his worst outing of his six major league starts, Marlins left-hander Sean West isn't going to go cry in a corner. To West, it was a challenge he didn't meet and a learning experience.

“That’s a good group of hitters, best money can buy,” West said. “They got a pretty powerful lineup. I tried to throw strikes and they capitalized on my mistakes. It’s a learning experience.”

West said his changeup simply wasn't falling over for strikes and it cost him. The double Jeter to open the game? High changeup. The ball Angel Berroa smacked for an RBI double? High changeup.

What went right? “I threw a lot of strikes and I didn’t look at these guys any differently than I did previous teams," said West, who gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in four innings. "I came out throwing strikes and they swung early. I just left some balls up and they capitalized on it."

West certainly wasn't scared of the Yankees. In fact, he was disappointed when Alex Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup before the game. And he liked the fact most of the 35,000 in attendance were rooting for the Yankees. "It definitely added a few miles per hour to my fastball," West said. "But I do wish I would have had a chance to pitch to A-Rod. That's how you measure yourself."

Marlins bracing for Halladay & more

Another day, another Cy Young winner to try and take down.

That’s the way the Marlins are approaching the task of facing Roy Halladay in Toronto Friday night, the fifth Cy Young winner Florida will try and beat in a week.

Halladay, however, might be the toughest of any the Marlins have encountered. The 32-year old right hander is 10-1, leads baseball in wins, is second in complete games (3) and ranks third in the AL in strikeouts with 88.

The Marlins aren’t exactly familiar with Halladay either. Only seven players have faced him before. First baseman Jorge Cantu (2 for 11, .182 vs. Halladay) is the only player with more than three at-bats.

“The way I look at it is he’s got the same scouting report on us that we do on him,” said outfielder Cody Ross, who went 1 for 3 against Halladay in 2006. “His is thin and ours is thin.”

At least the Marlins have history on their side, having beat Halladay the only time they faced him in 2006. The Marlins actually hit him pretty well, scoring four earned runs on eight hits over six innings. Not counting utility man Alfredo Amezaga, who is out with a knee injury, the seven healthy Marlins who have a history against Halladay combined to go 10 for 27 off him (.370).

“What makes him tough is that he throws strikes,” catcher John Baker said.

“He has a lot of different pitches, keeps guys in and out and off balance. He’s probably the best pitcher in baseball. It will be a test for us, but no greater test than I think some of the arms we’ve seen. Lincecum, Randy Johnson. We’ve seen a lot of Cy Young award winners. It’s just another one to try and beat.”

The Marlins have fared well against Cy Young winners this season. After losing to San Francisco’s Barry Zito 2-1 last Friday, they’ve won three straight over Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson and Chris Carpenter.

TALES FROM A BEATUP CATCHER: Baker sat out his second straight game Thursday, the fallout of being struck with a bat over his left temple Tuesday night by St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols.

Baker is hoping to be in the lineup Friday in Toronto. But there’s a good chance he could he miss his third straight game. Thursday, he woke up with more swelling and yet another headache.

Baker said he won’t take any medication for the pain. “I don’t want to mask anything,” Baker said. “I prefer to know what I can and can’t do. With pain medication sometimes you think you can do something and then you go out and do something stupid. I wasn’t raised by my parents taking a lot of medicine for things. If it hurts and you can play with it, then that’s what you do.”

“Hopefully the swelling will start going down. But I took a pretty wicked impact.”

Baker tried catching a few balls in the bullpen with a hockey mask Wednesday but has ordered a different one he hopes to use in Toronto. He said once the stitches are removed (possibly by the time the Marlins in Boston), he’ll go back to using his regular catcher’s mask.

Baker, who was as a pitcher and first baseman in high school, didn’t start catching until he was handed the equipment upon arrival at the University of California. He’s taken his fare share of blows over the years since putting on the gear.

“I took one in the head earlier this year that knocked a nice little golf ball in the side of my head,” Baker said. “In 2005, we were in Omaha and I took an elbow to the artery in my neck. I had trouble swallowing for a while. Another time, we were playing against West Michigan in Single A and I got hit with an elbow in the jaw, got knocked out at home plate cold.

“There’s a reason we wear the catcher’s gear. I’ve deal with it before, but not like this with stitches. This one is the worst residual effect, keeping me out for a few games.”

> Chris Volstad, who had the worst outing of his career Wednesday (6 ER, 10 H), said the reason his sinker was not dipping against the Cardinals was because he wasn’t following through on all his pitches.

“My mechanics were definitely a little off,” Volstad said. “It was just one of those things where I’d do it right one time and then wrong the next. I’ll have it fixed for Boston.”

Volstad’s next scheduled start is Tuesday night against former Marlin Josh Beckett at Fenway Park. Volstad and Andrew Miller are the only Marlins pitchers who will face both the Red Sox and Yankees.

> Manager Fredi Gonzalez gave his No. 3 and No. 4 hitters the day off Thursday – first baseman Jorge Cantu because of dizziness and shortstop Hanley Ramirez because of a sore right groin.

Gonzalez said Ramirez tweaked his back Wednesday night beating out a double play ball. Gonzalez said he entertained the idea of pulling Ramirez, but his shortstop refused to be taken out – much like he has with just about every other injury this season.

“He’s played 11 games in a row [coming back from the groin]. He’s dealt with it pretty good,” Gonzalez said. “There were some days where you thought he wasn’t going to make it. My hats off to him.”

Hanley Ramirez will rest groin sooner or later

Just like I suspected last night, manager Fredi Gonzalez told us this afternoon that shortstop Hanley Ramirez and his sore groin are going to get a day off at some point during this 11-game homestretch.

"We’ll see how he handles the next couple days," Gonzalez said. "But there will be a time when we give him a breather because we don’t want it to get worse. We’ll check with him everyday and with the trainers and if it starts getting really, really sore, we’ll give him an evening off."

When exactly that is remains to be seen.

Last night, Ramirez told us he feels his groin tighten whenever he tries slowing down before reaching a base. It's one of the many ailments he's been dealing with this season. After every game, about 30 percent of his body is covered in ice.

Just don't look for Ramirez to ask out voluntarily. He knows the Marlins are 6.5 games back of the Phillies and in fourth place in the NL East. And he knows this homestand is an important time to win games and help the Marlins stay within striking distance.

Last night, Ramirez went 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored. He's actually hitting .413 against the Brewers lifetime and has a 10-game hitting streak against Milwaukee -- one of four teams he has hitting streaks of 10-or-more games against.

> The Marlins made the last part of their four player move before today's game, recalling outfielder Alejandro De Aza from Triple A New Orleans. Last night, the Marlins sent reliever Cristhian Martinez back to Double A Jacksonville (he got the win Monday) and catcher Brett Hayes back to New Orleans to make room for tonight's starter Anibal Sanchez.

"He can be the first pinch hitter off the bench," Gonzalez said referring to De Aza. "He’s a left-hander. He has some speed. Having Hayes here, it was detrimental to him really. Here’s a guy who we are really high on defensively as a catcher and he spent 9, 10 days here and only got five at-bats. And that’s not fair for him or for the organization. We need those type of guys to go down there and play.

"The other reason we could use De Aza is to give Cody Ross a spell against a tough right-hander. He’s done a good job, too. He came up here and was [3 for 9, 3 runs scored] and got sent down. He’s made the club two years in a row in spring training, played four or five games and hurt himself. I think it’s a good decision for us to bring up De Aza."

> Jorge Julio's rough night Monday cost him his job. The Brewers released the Marlins' former closer Tuesday, a night after he failed to record any of the six batters he faced, laying the groundwork for the Fish's big five-run inning in their 7-4 come-from-behind win. Julio was 1-1 with a 7.79 ERA in 15 games for the Brewers.

> One change to the batting order tonight. Rookie Chris Coghlan will have the night off. Brett Carroll will take his spot, but hit eighth in the order. Gonzalez said its strictly because the Brewers are starting left-hander Manny Parra tonight.

THE LINEUP: 1. Emilio Bonifacio 3B, 2. Jeremy Hermida LF, 3. Hanley Ramirez SS, 4. Jorge Cantu 1B, 5. Dan Uggla 2B, 6. Cody Ross CF, 7. Ronny Paulino C, 8. Brett Carroll RF, 9. Anibal Sanchez P.

Anibal Sanchez will start Tuesday vs. Brewers

When Anibal Sanchez walked off the mound May 7th at LandShark Stadium against the Braves, he had a grimace on his face and a pain in his throwing shoulder that had many believing he might be headed for another long stint on the disabled list.

Less than a month later -- and a lot faster than anyone first expected -- the 25-year old right hander will pitch again for the Marlins. He'll get the start Tuesday night against the Brewers, retaking the spot he vacated when he went on the disabled list with what was classified as a shoulder sprain.

“It was definitely scary. I didn’t know when I was going to come back at first,” said Sanchez, who had Tommy John surgery in 2003 and missed most of 2007 and the first half of the 2008 season because of a shoulder injury that was followed surgery. “But I feel good now. I’m going to take the ball and do my job.”

Sanchez has lost his last four starts for the Marlins, giving up 31 hits and 19 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings (7.89 ERA) over the stretch. He pitched several bullpen sessions and simulated games at the Marlins spring training facility and Single A affiliate in Jupiter over the past two weeks before pitching for the Hammerheads in Lakeland on May 28.

In a game shortened by rain, Sanchez gave up three hits and struckout four over three scoreless innings in Lakeland. He threw 53 pitches in the outing and then another 22 in bullpen work.

"I don’t expect him to go out there, throw 115 pitches and give us a complete game," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But I expect him to give us a chance to win."

> INTERESTING DECISION LOOMING: Sanchez's return means long reliever Burke Badenhop, who gave up one run over five innings in a spot start Wednesday in Philadelphia, will go back to the bullpen. It also means the Marlins will have an interesting decision to make soon if and when Ricky Nolasco gets called back from Triple A New Orleans.

Nolasco, a 15-game winner and the ace of the Marlins rotation last season, has found his groove since being sent down May 23 after a horrendous outing against the Rays. Monday afternoon, Nolasco made his second start for the Zephyrs and pitched seven strong innings, giving up one earned run on six hits while striking out five and walking just one. In his first Triple A start last week, Nolasco gave up six hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out seven over eight innings.

Rookie left-hander Sean West would be the candidate to get sent back down to the minors if and when Nolasco is ready to return. But West could make it hard on the Marlins to move him if he keeps pitching like he has. Friday in New York, West gave up one earned run in seven strong innings. He also pitched well against the Rays, going five innings and giving up two earned in his first big league start.

When asked about Nolasco's starts in Triple A and when he might return, Gonzalez was a bit cryptic. "I haven’t even thought about it," Gonzalez said. "There wasn’t a certain amount of starts, it was go ahead and work on these things. It wasn’t a maximum or minimum of starts. It was about reacting to the goals [pitching coach] Mark [Wiley] sent him to accomplish."

> MONDAY'S LINEUP: 1. Chris Coghlan LF; 2. Emilio Bonifacio 3B; 3. Hanley Ramirez SS; 4. Jorge Cantu 1B; 5. Jeremy Hermida RF; 6. Dan Uggla 2B; 7. John Baker C; 8. Cody Ross CF; 9. Andrew Miller P.

Are the Marlins turning it around?

PHILADELPHIA -- Ever since their 11-1 start the Florida Marlins have been going in the opposite direction. For every step forward, it's been two, three, four steps back.

This week, though, they might have finally figured out the way to snap out of their funk. It's called starting pitching. Remember that three week period when Marlins starters couldn't buy a win? Remember when the Marlins bullpen, the most overworked in the bigs, was eating innings like cops at a donut shop?

Marlins starters have stepped it up. Burke Badenhop's five innings Wednesday were huge and followed the current trend Fish starters began last weekend against the Rays.

Since Josh Johnson's start Sunday (their last four outings) the rotation has combined to go 2-0 in 24-2/3 innings, giving up just eight earned runs (2.91 ERA) while striking out 14 and walking 10. If not for Joe Blanton's best start of the season Tuesday, the Marlins might be on a four-game winning streak.

"You usually play as good as your starting pitching," Marlins manager Gonzalez said. "You hate to cover five, six innings every night. It can't work. It doesn't work. We had JJ, Volly, Miller and now even today. Hopefully we keep rolling and have guys go deep in ball games."

> It's a bit of a strange stat. But the Marlins improved 4-0 in the last four games Hanley Ramirez hasn't played. The Marlins won their last two against the Mets April 28-29 and then the opener against the Cubs on April 30 when Ramirez was nursing a bruised wrist. Wednesday was win No. 4.

> Dan Uggla hit another home run against Brett Myers -- that's five, more than any other pitcher he's faced. Uggla has also homered in five of his last nine games. Of his last nine hits, five have been homers.

> Cody Ross got three hits for the second consecutive game. He went 7 for 12 against the Phillies with a homer and two RBI.

> Be sure to check out the postgame audio I uploaded after the game. Listen to manager Fredi Gonzalez, pitcher Burke Badenhop and second baseman Dan Uggla field questions from me and the rest of the Marlins beat writers.

Pinto's (elbow) MRI negative

PHILADELPHIA -- Renyel Pinto's stint on the disabled list isn't going to be very long. According to Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, the MRI on the left-handed reliever's elbow didn't reveal anything more than inflammation.

"We’re going to give him a couple days of not throwing and then get him cranked up again," Gonzalez said.

Pinto began his stint on the DL retroactive to May 23. In the meantime, the Marlins will continue to rely most on Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez (whom Gonzalez said negates lefties with his changeup) to handle left-handed hitters late in games.

Meyer, who has pitched in three straight games, will likely face one or two hitters tops Tuesday -- and Nunez will likely rest along with closer Matt Lindstrom. Both have pitched in three straight games. That leaves the Marlins bullpen pretty thin for tonight's game -- especially with Burke Badenhop making the start Wednesday. Look for Kiko Calero and Brian Sanches to see the bulk of the late inning work.

> Gonzalez said the reason he decided to put Emilio Bonifacio back at the top of the lineup Tuesday instead of keeping rookie Chris Coghlan (who went 2 for 5 Monday) there is because he doesn't want to lose Bonifacio's speed. "Boni's speed is his tool," Gonzalez said. "You put him eighth and you kind of negate it." Gonzalez said Coghlan is a good enough hitter to bat anywhere in the lineup.

> The Marlins could potentially tie a club record tonight -- one they set last year -- by hitting another home run. Wes Helms extended Florida's streak to 13 games last night with his fourth-inning blast off Jamie Moyer. The Fish have hit the fourth-most home runs in the majors since 2007.

> Wednesday starter Burke Badenhop will be on a 65-70 pitch limit. "He's hit 45 a couple times," Gonzalez said of Badenhop, who has worked in long relief stints all season. "We don't want to push it more than 65 or 70." Gonzalez said the Marlins will likely need Badenhop or another pitcher to fill in the fifth starter's role for another start until Anibal Sanchez, Rick VandenHurk or Ricky Nolasco are ready to fill the void by June 7th.