The Mets just took over first place in the National League East. To make matters worse, Wax Heaven’s own, Andrew Miller just landed on the disabled list. What else could possibly go wrong next?
Believe it or not, this is somewhat of a relief. If you followed the Marlins season then you know Miller started out terrible but a couple of months into the season became the Marlins’ most reliable pitcher for a good stretch. These good outings caused Miller’s cards to explode on eBay but before anyone could reap the benefits, Andrew began struggling again. His last two outings were disastrous and it’s driven both myself and Tatiana mad.
The truth is, I would never turn my back on Andrew Miller. He’s a great pitcher and an awesome guy to root for but if the Marlins are in contention we cannot afford to throw in a rookie out there every five days and hope for the best. Andrew was hurting our chances of making the playoffs and now I know exactly why: he was pitching in pain.
My hope is that he has a fast recovery and returns full-strength to our rotation. I believe he will make an excellent #2 starter behind our true ace, Ricky Nolasco. I say “true ace” because all season long the Marlins have been saying it’s Olsen but no thanks. In my dreams, the Marlins rotation would look like this.
1. Ricky Nolasco
2. Andrew Miller
3. Chris Volstad
4. Josh Johnson
5. Scott Olsen
Currently on the disabled list is Anibal Sanchez who is young and threw a no-hitter a couple of seasons ago. We also have Mark Hendrickson and Ryan Tucker as long-relief guys.
When you throw in Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross, Jorge Cantu, and yes, even Mike Jacobs at the plate, the Marlins are looking mighty powerful for the second-half of the season. We are better than the Mets and with a bunch of guys that make 1/3 of the Mets salary and just 2/3 of their talent!
Damn it feels good to be the underdog…
Not that it’s ever good to get hurt and put on the DL, but I think this is the best thing for Andrew and the Marlins. I don’t know what his previous season high in innings is, but I’ll bet he would have blown by it this year if kept in the rotation. If he can get some much needed rest now and the Marlins can stay in contention, they’ll get him back for the stretch run in good form. This is the best thing for the team AND Miller’s career. Thank god Dusty Baker isn’t running that show down there.
Marlins are def. the underdogs behind the Mets and Phillies at this point.