‘Win the day’: Marlins pleased with first-half success but focused on what’s still ahead
The Miami Marlins were able to take a moment, however brief, to reflect on their accomplishments to this point.
After a 6-2 series-clinching win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, a win that came after they scored five consecutive runs following a nearly 75-minute rain delay in the top of the sixth inning, the Marlins finished the first half of their regular season with a 47-34 record. They are 13 games over .500 for the first time this season and the first time overall since Oct. 3, 2009. Their record is the second best in franchise history through 81 games, behind only the 48-33 record of the 1997 World Series-winning team.
“I just like the way we’re competing every day,” first-year Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Every day is a new day, win or loss. They’re going about it the right way. They’re preparing the right way.”
That said, the Marlins know having a solid first half of the season isn’t the end goal. It’s merely the start. They still have another 81 games to play, another half of a season to cement their standing and, ultimately, get into the playoffs.
“Just keep winning. Win the day,” first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper said. “Can’t get too ahead of yourself.”
So how did the Marlins get here? Let’s explore.
What’s working?
All of Miami’s successes to this point — the third-best record in the National League, the 22 comeback wins — stem back to the moves the organization made in the offseason.
It begins at the top with Schumaker, who has to be in consideration for National League Manager of the Year for the team’s quick turnaround. He and his revamped staff have instilled a philosophy and belief inside the clubhouse that the team can compete even when those outside the franchise had doubted them.
“We’re together, supporting each other,” Marlins ace and reigning Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara said. “Especially Skip Schumaker. He’s giving that confidence that we need.”
And then it trickles down to the players and the overall roster improvement. The Marlins added three key position players in Luis Arraez, Jean Segura and Yuli Gurriel to lengthen the lineup and provide needed depth.
Arraez, acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez and a pair of prospects, enters Thursday hitting .396 and is in contention to be the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to finish a season with a .400 batting average. Segura has struggled so far this season and Gurriel is a spot starter at first base, but they have mentored a young Marlins roster, notably outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez.
Add Jorge Soler, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Cooper, and the Marlins have a much deeper lineup than they have had in some time.
“It’s way more stacked one through nine,” Cooper said. “So many guys are doing so many good things. A couple guys are hot one week. A couple guys are hot the next week. That’s how good teams win. It’s not relying on one or two guys, but one through nine.”
The same can be said about the bullpen, which went from a volatile unit last year to having quality depth of its own. A.J. Puk, acquired just before spring training in a trade with Oakland, has emerged as Miami’s primary closer with 12 saves this season. That frees up Tanner Scott and Dylan Floro to take on set-up roles. Andrew Nardi has blossomed in his second season. And JT Chargois and Steven Okert can handle high-leverage spots, too.
And then there’s the rotation, projected to once again be the strength of the team and now finally starting to play like it. The Marlins’ starting pitchers struggled early in the season to pitch deep into games and to produce quality outings when they did provide length.
Now? The Marlins have the sixth-best starting pitching ERA in baseball (3.87). Twenty-year-old rookie Eury Perez has established himself as one of the top up-and-coming pitchers, although Miami will be monitoring him moving forward as he sets career highs in innings pitched. Braxton Garrett has been one of the team’s most consistent pitchers during the past month and a half. Jesus Luzardo has been steady. And Alcantara, while primarily struggling this year, has shown flashes of his former self lately. This doesn’t even mention Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers, both of whom are on the injured list.
“It’s only up from here,” Garrett said. “I think everybody would say we’re extremely happy with how the first half has been. ... It’s just kind of the team we are.”
What needs to improve?
While the Marlins are playing well — and winning — they know they have a few areas of the game that need to be cleaned up.
Two key areas stand out.
First: Holding baserunners. Opponents have successfully stolen bases 88.1 percent of the time against the Marlins this season, the second-highest rate in MLB behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers (88.18 percent).
Second: Hitting into double plays. Miami has hit into an MLB-leading 87 groundball double plays this season, an average of more than one per game. The Los Angeles Angels have hit the second most — 71, or 16 fewer than the Marlins in one more game played.
But even beyond the two big-picture numbers, there’s always just the general feeling that a team can improve. Schumaker is preaching that daily. As soon as the team gets complacent, that’s when things can start falling apart.
“That’s when you know you’re in a really good spot,” Schumaker said. You’re not content. You’re not comfortable. I’ve said it before. I’m never comfortable in any month of any year because I’ve seen what’s happened before. Teams can get on really hot streaks and really bad streaks. That’s why I’m very adamant that we take it one game at a time and prepare like we’re going to win every day.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 11:05 AM.
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