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For the entire month of June, one team has run roughshod over the entirety of Major League Baseball, being nearly unbeatable at home and surging in the playoff standings in the process.
Just hearing that, you probably think I’m talking about one of the usual suspects.
The New York Yankees? How about the Los Angeles Dodgers? Or maybe it’s the Atlanta Braves going on one of their patented runs?
No, no, and no.
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The team I’m referring to is none other than the Miami Marlins, who boast an MLB-best 17-5 record in the month of June and just got done with a Friday night shutout on the road against fellow Wild Card hopefuls, the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s hard to say why the Marlins are experiencing the kind of success they are in June.
The talent was always there, as young as it may be. I even wrote about how the Fightin’ Fish had plenty of potential all the way back in April.
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But I’m not sure even the most optimistic Marlins fan could have seen this coming.
A big key to their success has been their offense, but not in the conventional sense.
Chicks dig the long ball, sure, but Miami are taking more of a small ball approach to scoring runs, and it’s been working like a charm as of late.
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The Marlins are in the top-ten in the league in on-base percentage and are the best team in MLB in terms of stolen bases with 88.
That strategy might not be sexy, but it’s a big reason why the Marlins are within spitting distance of the playoffs as we close in on the All-Star break.
Coming into the year, baseball fans were probably very aware of the top two arms in the Marlins’ rotation, as Sandy Alcántara and Eury Pérez both have reputations that precede them.
However, it’s been the emergence of Max Meyer that has helped Miami get a much-needed boost to its pitching.
Meyer is 9-0 this season, and in the month of June alone he has a 1.78 ERA with 33 strikeouts in five starts.
And I know I bemoaned the bullpen earlier this season, but that unit has finally started rounding into form, helping Miami hold onto some late leads.
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When you throw all that into a pot, you get a successful summer stew of winning baseball that has taken MLB by storm.
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As a cynical Marlins fan, though, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Will Miami be able to keep this up? Probably not, but it’s fun to watch while it’s happening.
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And with how young this team is, it’s great to see them arrive ahead of schedule, even if it’s only temporary.
Let’s hope the month of July is as kind to the Marlins as June was.
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