This is the question that Joe Capozzi and Clark Spencer ask.
Mr. Capozzi is first ( going in alphabetical order in case the two authors actually read this, which isn't likely)
Is their season over? Can they still right the ship and drive for the wild card?
Next up is Mr. Spencer
Did the season just go down the tubes for the Marlins?
Quick, everyone off the bandwagon!
Before I go into this, the two writers are just asking the question and not hypothesizing that it is.
Is the season over? No. The Marlins schedule is setup so that they play every team that is ahead of them in the division and the wild card in the remaining 54 games, with one exception. The one exception being the Giants in the wild card, which could prove to be a problem.
Do the Marlins need to rewrite baseball history with a spectacular run in order to make the playoffs? No. But it would be helpful if they did.
I know everyone is down because we all had penciled in three wins against the Nationals in the last series. And understandably so, well maybe not, 'cause after you beat a team ten times in-a-row you're bound to lose a few somewhere down the line. They are major leaguers, after all, and have real uniforms and everything. And nobody wins them all and nobody loses them all.
So I guess the real question is: Is the makeup of the team such that they can take advantage of the schedule and make a run from here on out?
Who knows. But I will say this, as it stands at present, I don't like the makeup of the team. Normally it doesn't bother me when the club carries 13 pitchers. However, when carrying 13 pitchers means Bonifacio is the go to backup outfielder and the backup short stop, then I have a problem. Another way to put it is there is no depth to the team. The Grits are saved for pinch hitting and are rarely used in the field given the current team's lineup. The Grits don't hit for Cantu or NJ and thus never see the field in order to get a second AB. So basically they are relegated to being one-trick ponies. If you bring up the fact that Gload can play the corner slots in the outfield, I will mention the fact that Hermida and Coghlan also hit from the left side, so Gload won't be substituted for them.
The other thing, and there is not enough data to know for sure, but it seems like the acquisition of Nick Johnson has made the infield defense worse. Not so much his play, but the fact it moved Cantu to third, where he doesn't remind anyone of Brooks Robinson.
I guess what I am saying is that there are not enough moveable parts and some of the parts are in a bad location.
Can the Marlins make the playoffs from here? Yes. But in order to do so, they are going to have to get their act together which they can do. But the problem that bothers me is that some of the characters aren't in their proper roles.