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The biggest mystery surrounding the Miami Marlins in 2014 has to be about their current shortstop, Adeiny Hechavarria. Hech, as he is lovingly called, has become a polarizing player for the Marlins. While the Marlins front office is very high on Hech, there is a split in the Marlins fanbase about what kind of player he really is.
The Miami Marlins have a dilemma now, the same one that Boston Red Sox had last year, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the team’s starting catcher. As the Red Sox advanced deeper into October, David Ross got more and more playing time behind the plate.
Giancarlo Stanton isn’t ready to proclaim the season a success simply because the Marlins are back at .500 and lurking in the playoff hunt. But neither is he complaining. He’s smiling a lot these days.
-Miami Marlins back at .500 after throttling Arizona Diamondbacks - Sun Sentinel
Considering they did it five times over their first 60 games, the Marlins were hopeful double-digit run outputs would be relatively regular occurrences. Not so. Over their second 60, the Marlins had no 10-plus run games and scored more than five just six times.
The Miami Marlins two seasons ago helped Adam Greenberg get back to the major leagues. In doing so, they bolstered his candidacy for the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
-Rest helps Cishek return to form | marlins.com: News
The Marlins entered Sunday as one of three teams with 17 wins in the second half, a feat that had forced them to rely on closer Steve Cishek more than usual. The righty appeared in 14 of those contests and turned in a National League-best 11 saves in that span (tied with Francisco Rodriguez entering play Sunday).
-Texas Rangers at Miami Marlins - August 19, 2014 | MLB.com Preview
For the first time ever, the Rangers will visit Marlins Park to open up another two-game series with Miami after splitting two games with them back in June at Globe Life Park. But unlike their sporadic matchups in the past several years, the Marlins find themselves in a position the Rangers have been used to: looking with anticipation toward October.
-McGehee sticking with up-the-middle hitting approach | marlins.com: News
Staying with an up-the-middle approach is a big reason Casey McGehee has enjoyed a productive season. It's factored into the Miami third baseman batting .333 with runners in scoring position entering play Sunday, as well as providing protection behind Giancarlo Stanton.
-Arizona Diamondbacks at Miami Marlins - August 17, 2014 | MLB.com MIA Recap
But on Sunday, Giancarlo Stanton had four RBIs and his bat propelled the Marlins to .500 for the first time since July 29 as they beat Arizona, 10-3, and secured their third consecutive series win. The Marlins have won seven of their last 10 games, and the .500 threshold is pivotal for them if they want to put together a late-season run in the National League Wild Card race. The last time they were above an even mark was on June 20.
Around The League
Baseball's injuries have made their mark on the pennant races already, testing the depth and creativity of clubs, and returns from the DL will go a long way in determining who gets into October. With that in mind, we wrote a ranking of 10 MLB teams that are hurting the most.
-Santo Domingo captures second RBI Softball World Series title in three years | MLB.com: News
The Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Softball World Series came to an end on Sunday with RBI Santo Domingo bringing the championship trophy back to the Dominican Republic for the second time in three years and third time overall with a 4-1 victory over Houston Astros RBI at Texas Women's University.
-Teixeira ties DiMaggio on all-time homer list | yankees.com: News
Mark Teixeira hit his 361st career home run on Sunday at Tropicana Field, tying Joe DiMaggio for 80th place on the all-time list.
-Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers - August 17, 2014 | MLB.com SEA Recap
If they hadn't already, the Mariners announced to the other American League playoff contenders this weekend that they are very much a part of that group.
At Fish Stripes
-Giancarlo Stanton's MVP chances are tied to the Marlins' playoff odds - Fish Stripes
If the Miami Marlins want to help Giancarlo Stanton earn an MVP, then the team needs to get to winning, because the odds get a lot worse without a playoff appearance.
-Revisiting the Adeiny Hechavarria defense question - Fish Stripes
After two months, more data is in on Adeiny Hechavarria's defense and the results still pose serious questions about how effective he is at shortstop.
-Giancarlo Stanton rumors: What could the Red Sox offer? - Fish Stripes
Rumors say the Red Sox are interested in Giancarlo Stanton. How enticing of an offer could they make Miami?
-Marlins 2014 Draft Rounds 1-3 Prospects Update - Fish Stripes
Which prospects from the Marlins 2014 draft class have stood out so far in their limited time beginning their professional careers?
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