There is a new book on the Marlins
And it only has one chapter: Throw Every Junker you can find against them.
It was only the fifth time the Marlins have been shut out this season, but it might be the beginning of a dangerous trend. ''He was like a right-handed Jamie Moyer,'' Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``He kept throwing the changeup, and his fastball was working for him, and he made pitches when he had to. He kept us off balance.'' Moyer, the 45-year-old Phillies starter, is 10-0 against the Marlins and has made a living throwing slow, slower and slowest against them. Phillies ace Cole Hamels used a similar approach against the Marlins on Sunday, throwing more change-ups and offspeed pitches, and Campillo owned the Marlins with a fastball that was never clocked higher than 86 mph. ''Everything moves, and everything is slow,'' Jacobs said. ``He kind of lulls you to sleep and then sneaks that 85-mph fastball by you.'' Jacobs doesn't think the Moyer-esque style of pitching will be a trend against the Marlins. ''I don't think guys who throw a certain way are going to change to pitch like Jamie Moyer against us,'' he said.
Of course, Hamels change his style of pitching.
The good news is if opponents try to get their pitchers who aren't junkers to adopt that style for one game, it probably won't work since that isn't what the pitcher is comfortably doing.
But don't be shocked if down the stretch run the Marlins start seeing surprise starters who were previously in the pen taking the mound in first inning who log numbers on the radar gun at around 50 mph.
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Is there a new book on the Marlin hitters?
It seems that Cole Hamels was trying to take a page out of the Jamie Moyer playbook.
The Marlins have gone 15 for 77 in the three games Hamels has started against them and still won all three. Sunday they did so in spite of Hamels' best Jamie Moyer impersonation. Both Ross and Hermida said Hamels threw even more change-ups than usual and kept his fastball in the mid-80s opposed to his typical low-90s.
It will be interesting to see if other pitchers try and adopt this strategy of throwing slow junk to the Marlins hitters. If they do, one, the Marlins will have to adjust and two, it means they have no faith in getting the Marlins out with their regular stuff.
It is odd, that a pitcher as good as Hamels would adjust his style of pitching.
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Josh Willingham sidelined
In case you were wondering why Josh Willingham didn't play, it was because of a sore wrist.
Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham was given the day off to rest a sore wrist. Willingham was hit by a pitch Saturday, but told Gonzalez he felt good enough to play. Gonzalez said he just wanted to give Willingham a break to let the wrist ``get a little better.''
Also it never hurts to give a player a day off who is struggling at the plate, especially against Cole Hamels.
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