The Florida Marlins bullpen is an absolute mess. Its written all over Fredi Gonzálezs face whenever he needs to pull his starter and go to the pen. Its like hes bringing in Wile E. Coyote to hold the lead, and he inevitably blows up the stadium with his Acme TNT kit. As a team, the bullpen has blown ten saves so far. And the Marlins need to hang 14 runs on the competition just to have a chance to win a ball game.
But if theres one silver lining in this crapstorm cloud, its been closer Leo Núñez. He hasnt blown a save since May 4, and his 2.19 ERA is third among NL closers. He also ranks seventh among closers in the National League. In other words, Fredi needs to figure out a way to clone Núñez immediately. The misadventures of the Marlins bullpen will most likely continue this Saturday when they host the San Diego Padres at Sun Life Stadium. Theyll also feature a postgame fireworks show and a performance by rockers O.A.R. No word if Wile E. Coyote will supply the pyrotechnics.
Sat., June 26, 7:10 p.m., 2010