The Miami Marlins went 8-1 on the nine game homestand, which ended with a sweep of the New York Mets. Miami has proven that they can score runs in key moments and rally late in games.
After remaining competitive consistently throughout the month of April, the Miami Marlins completed an 8-1 homestand with a sweep of the New York Mets following a 1-0 victory on Wednesday afternoon. The Marlins have only dropped five games at home all season, but why was the homestand so successful against some of the National League's more notable teams?
Pitching Staff remains efficient
PItching was expected to be the strength of the Miami Marlins in 2014, and it is the starting pitching that has kept the Marlins in games thus far.
Jose Fernandez was solid both times out, Nathan Eovaldi has been able to follow him with consistency, and Tom Koehler at the back end of the rotation gives the Marlins the ability to match up with some of the National League's best pitching staffs.
Pitcher(On Homestand) | ERA | FIP |
Jose Fernandez | 1.20 | 1.91 |
Nathan Eovaldi | 2.78 | 2.51 |
2.40 | 3.98 | |
Jacob Turner | 13.50 | 5.61 |
Tom Koehler | 0.00 | 3.25 |
While Fernandez and Eovaldi led the way against the Braves and Mets, Henderson Alvarez and Tom Koehler also looked solid in the series with New York. Alvarez did struggle in his first start of the homestand against Atlanta, and Jacob Turner's return to the rotation wasn't dominant. But Miami's rotation has proven they can go deep into games consistently, which is essential for the sake of a bullpen that has been inconsistent early on.
Giancarlo Stanton, Casey McGehee provide offensive spark
Miami walked off three times on the homestand, and while the success of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is notable, the ability of Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGehee to drive runners in late in games led to several wins.
McGehee provided a walkoff single on Monday night, and has proven that he can drive in runs without hitting a home run. Stanton, while evidently struggling in the only loss of the nine home games to the Dodgers on Saturday night (struck out with the bases loaded), has benefited from increased protection in the lineup.
Player | Batting Average (Homestand only) | OBP | wOBA |
Giancarlo Stanton | .379 | .486 | .529 |
Casey McGehee | .394 | .444 | .424 |
Even though both Stanton and McGehee could be vulnerable to striking out, their ability to put together prolonged at bats against the Braves, Dodgers, and Mets led to the series victories.
Steve Cishek remains solid, bench becomes valuable
Although Carlos Marmol's inability to find the strike zone in the extra innings loss to the Dodgers led to a late defeat, the bullpen was able to keep games close when they were called upon.
Steve Cishek made four appearances and posted a 2.08 ERA in those outings, and Carter Capps was solid when he was called upon.
Miami's bench also played a key role in several games, with Ed Lucas, Jeff Baker, and Jeff Mathis all contributing.