As expected, the Marlins after Thursday's game confirmed Anibal Sanchez will get the start in the series opener in Atlanta. They optioned Cristhian Martinez, who had a phenomenal outing Thursday, back to Double-A Jacksonville.
Martinez entered for Josh Johnson in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. He induced a Carlos Lee double play ball and pitched two more perfect innings. Johnson exited after allowing four runs on seven hits through 4 1/3 innings.
One thing's for certain: If the Marlins are going to stay in this thing the rotation has to get better in a hurry. We've seen some nice starts this month, but overall the starters have been underwhelming. So far in August: 7-5 with a 5.66 ERA and 98 hits in 95 2/3 innings. Perhaps most troubling is that the starters are averaging just under 5 1/3 innings per outing.
With the Phillies up 6 1/2 games with 41 to play, it's looking more and more like the Marlins' best shot at the postseason is the wild card. The Rockies have a four-game cushion on the Marlins and Braves, and lead the Giants by two.
Martinez entered for Josh Johnson in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. He induced a Carlos Lee double play ball and pitched two more perfect innings. Johnson exited after allowing four runs on seven hits through 4 1/3 innings.
One thing's for certain: If the Marlins are going to stay in this thing the rotation has to get better in a hurry. We've seen some nice starts this month, but overall the starters have been underwhelming. So far in August: 7-5 with a 5.66 ERA and 98 hits in 95 2/3 innings. Perhaps most troubling is that the starters are averaging just under 5 1/3 innings per outing.
With the Phillies up 6 1/2 games with 41 to play, it's looking more and more like the Marlins' best shot at the postseason is the wild card. The Rockies have a four-game cushion on the Marlins and Braves, and lead the Giants by two.