Fredi Gonzalez is contemplating some lineup changes.
Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla (hitting .191) continues to bat second, but managerFredi Gonzalez said he has considered changing that. There is some internal sentiment that Uggla is not well-suited there. ''He's probably a 3, 4, 5, 6 hitter,'' hitting coach Jim Presley said
Manager Fredi Gonzalez isn't worried about Uggla, and he has no immediate plans of moving him out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
While it is true that Danny isn't what most think of for a prototypical number two hitter, that doesn't mean it is bad slot for him either. Uggla started slow last season posting a .219/.294/.429 in April before tearing it up in May.
To continue the thought on the lineup, one day Hanley won't be hitting lead-off, he will most likely bat third.
But here's the deal, the Marlins aren't having any trouble scoring runs. Sure sometimes they come in bunches and at other times they can't seem to string hits together. But unless Fredi is clairvoyant there is no way to know which two or three players will produce the hits in every game.
Example: the Marlins had nine hits on Saturday against the Astros and didn't score a run. Last night they only had seven hits against the Braves and were able to put four on the board. (Granted, two runs came via gift walks with the bases loaded.) And in both cases virtually the same lineup order was in place.
For now and maybe the rest of the season, just let everyone hit where they are comfortable and they will put up runs. And as everyone knows, the lineup order isn't a major problem -- the major problem is the starting pitching. Get the starters lined out and then mess with the batting order, if you must.