Stanton and Gordon both got the night off and with Max Scherzer on the hill it seemed the home stand would end on a sour note. However, Ozuna hit a three run bomb and the top three in the lineup, Suzuki, Martin Prado, and Christian Yelich, went 5-10. The Marlins picked up a solid win to finish the home stand, however, they have struggled going 2-5 and sitting at 5-9 for the season. It does not get any easier with a 10 game road trip that includes the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Marlins need to fix some key things if they want to turn around early struggles and make some noise in the NL East. They sit 22nd in runs scored, 21st in RBIs, 27th in home runs, 17th in ERA, and tied-25th in quality starts, which are three key aspects in the game of baseball. Do they shake up the lineup? Do they wait it out? Should they be on the market for a starter or reliever?
It is too early to panic, especially with the pitching because going into the season the Marlins were going as far as the offense would take them. The big bats in the order are struggling. Stanton is hitting .224, Ozuna is hitting .200, and Bour is hitting .227. It's only a matter of time until Stanton gets the average to .300 or close to it, but Ozuna and Bour are wildcards. They both hit around .260 last year and had a combined 117 RBIs.
Ozuna and Bour need to have better seasons this year because as good as Stanton is he cannot carry the team. Ozuna should be moved down in the lineup whereas Bour will have to stay at 5 or 6 and swing his way out of his early season slump. If Ozuna and Bour turn it around and give Stanton some protection the starting rotation and bullpen can get by being average.
News from around the NL East
Phillies try to shake things up and bat the pitcher 8th.
Justin Klugh of the Good Phight analyzes why fans, especially Phillies' fans, boo.
Jonathan Papelbon has the worst new nickname.
Shirts made for Bryce Harper's 100th home run using emoji.
Braves lose back to back extra inning games after four game win streak.
Matt Harvey addresses mechanical flaw in bullpen session.
Fan Graphs make a case for Noah Syndergaard as the best pitcher in MLB.