Houston @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 22, 2010 ) Florida 5, Houston 1
With the playoffs now firmly in the “long shot” category, the Florida Marlins can at least look out onto the field every night the rest of the way and see some real hope for the future.
The Marlins will be looking to ride their young talent to a fourth straight win when they open a three-game series against the Houston Astros on Friday.
Always at the bottom of the league as far as payroll is concerned, Florida is working with a very small margin for error every season and needs to continually produce young, cheap talent if they hope to have a chance to win.
It would appear as if another wave of that young talent is ready to break through at any time now. The Marlins have introduced top prospects like Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez into the lineup this season and still have high hopes for former top prospect Cameron Maybin.
Added to a lineup that already includes one of the best players in the majors in Hanley Ramirez, Florida could be looking at one of the best units in the league over the next couple of seasons.
Stanton is the most highly touted of the group and has done nothing to diminish the hype since coming up on June 8, slugging 14 homers in 218 at-bats. Just 20 years old, Stanton is an athletic corner outfielder that the Marlins believe will one day be able to carry the team offensively.
Sanchez was the star on Thursday, clubbing a three-run homer to lead Florida to a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The only one who has been with the team all season, Sanchez is in the running in a crowded group of National League Rookie of the Year contenders due to his .284 batting average, 13 homers and 58 RBIs. His consistent play at first base forced Morrison, who came up as a first baseman, to shift to left field once he began his major league career.
The Marlins have plenty of talent on the mound as well, and today’s starter Anibal Sanchez is just one example.
The Venezuelan right-hander owns a 3.31 ERA and has surrendered two earned runs or less in five of his last six starts. He has been extremely effective at keeping the ball in the ballpark, yielding just six homers in 141 1/3 innings this season.
Sanchez, 26, made one start against the Astros earlier this season, allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings to earn a win on April 22. He has never lost to Houston in his career, going 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in three outings.
The Astros will counter with a pitcher they hope will be able to help their team for a while in left-hander J.A. Happ. Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Roy Oswalt trade last month, Happ has allowed three runs and five hits in 12 1/3 combined innings over his last two starts, earning a win last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Happ got knocked around by the Marlins when he was with the Phillies, allowing 10 runs on 19 hits in 16 1/3 innings spread over five appearances - two starts.