Maybe if the Marlins had not spent two weeks in first place fans would have a little more patience with manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Expectations were set high after the Marlins started the season five games up on their division opponents after two weeks. That lead disappeared quickly as the Marlins played like the Nationals for an entire month. Fans looked for someone to blame, and Fredi Gonzalez received much of it, but for good reason.
Even as the Marlins have climbed their way back into the thick of things I still have a problem with the way Gonzalez is managing.
Let's take a look at the game from last night.
The first problem is that Emilio Bonifacio is still at the major league level, let alone starting a game. Bonifacio has been horrendous since beginning the season on a tear. Last night he came up twice with the bases loaded and hit two double play balls. Luckily one was botched due to a poor play by Orioles shortstop Robert Andino.
Bonifacio is also a defensive liability as he leads all MLB third basemen in errors. The Marlins could easily improve their defense and offense with several simple moves. The first move would be to make Wes Helms the starter at third. With everyday action his average would come up and he is a proven veteran.
The other two moves would require Jorge Cantu to move back to third and replacing him with either Ross Gload or Gaby Sanchez at first base. Any of these situations would be better than the current one.
The next problem was Matt Lindstrom coming out for the ninth inning. He is a closer with an ERA over five. Yeah, I know he has amazing stuff, but sometimes stats mean more than how hard a guy throws. Leo Nunez, Renyel Pinto, or Dan Meyer are all more suitable for the job now.
Go with a closer by committee if you have to. When lefties are coming up (Ryan Howard and Chase Utley?) send Meyer or Pinto out for the ninth. When righties are coming up send out Nunez. Even after Lindstrom blew a three run lead Tuesday night against the Orioles Gonzalez said "We're going to keep running [Lindstrom] out there."
Then there is the matter of Jeremy Hermida. Yes, I know, he was a top prospect years ago. But, his time is up. I am tired of watching this guy roll over and lazily ground-out time after time.
Brett Carroll (.280 average) and Ross Gload (.303) both bat much better than Hermida (.257). And they are playing off the bench which makes it more difficult to get in a groove. Give them an everyday opportunity and see what they can do!
Another matter to wonder about is why John Baker is still the everyday catcher. Josh Johnson, the team's ace and one of the best pitchers in the league, prefers to be caught by Paulino which says something about his pitch calling and defense.
Then there is the fact Paulino has a batting average .032 higher than Baker's. His home-run and RBI totals are similar to Baker's despite only having two-thirds the amount of at-bats as Baker. Why don't you give Paulino some consistency Fredi?
Gonzalez must not be watching these games like everyone else. How is it that something is more obvious to fans than it is to the man who runs the team on a daily basis?
To fully understand why Gonzalez is a poor coach look at how he uses Josh Johnson. Johnson has already undergone Tommy John surgery after having arm problems early in his career. Less than a year after his return Johnson is among the league leaders in pitches per game.
Are you kidding me? What the heck are you doing Fredi? Trying to get his arm to fall off?
Some of these situations are pointless, as Fredi allowed Johnson to throw a complete game against the Toronto Blue Jays last week despite the Marlins' eight run lead and Johnson's high pitch count.
Pitchers never want to come out of a game. They will keep pitching until their arm is shot; I am serious. It is a manager's job to tell a pitcher when they are done, and Fredi often fails to do that.
Fredi has been a poor coach and unless he turns things around do not be surprised if he meets the same fate as Joe Girardi. I know the baseball world might not believe, but these Marlins are underachieving, and for that I blame Fredi.
- Login to post comments