The Miami Marlins took the series against the Phillies after a 5-1 win on the road Sunday. Carlos Zambrano got the W, as well as his first home run as a Marlin.

Carlos Zambrano is 4-3 with a 2.81 ERA. Big Z has really shined on the road. In six road starts, Zambrano is 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, 35 SO’s and only 13 BB’s. In his five home starts, by comparison, he is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA, 21 SO’s and 15 BB’s. His only complete game is on the road (at Houston).

Big Z is also swinging the bat better on the road. He has a .231 average on the road and a .100 average in Miami. Zambrano strikes out less frequently away from home. He averages 2.5 at bats per strikeout at home and 13.0 at bats per strikeout away. And as previously mentioned, he hit his only home run yesterday at Philadelphia.

To say that Miami Marlins Closer, Heath Bell, is struggling is an understatement. The $27 million man has an ERA of 10.03 and 4 (officially) blown saves along with other blown ties.

Heath Bell has not been 100% awful. There is a silver lining. When Heath Bell has an outing with at least one strikeout, he is a completely different pitcher. In the combined outings where Bell strikes out a batter, he has gone 7 innings pitched while allowing only one earned run (ERA of 1.29). In outings where Bell fails to record a strikeout, he has lasted 4.2 IP while allowing 12 earned runs for an astronomical ERA of 23.14.

The Marlins Closer has only pitched one inning where he has not allowed a run nor recorded a strikeout.
Bell’s ERA In outings where he walks a batter? 13.50

While many suggest that Bell’s signing was a complete failure, to me it appears to be either hit or miss. If he records a strikeout, he turns into a dominate pitcher, however those outings without a K, cover your eyes.

The Miami Marlins lead the MLB in stolen bases (34) and stolen bases percentage (85%). The Marlins are led by Emilio Bonifacio with his Major League leading 15 stolen bases and still has yet to be caught stealing.

The Fish are also tied with the Colorado Rockies with the most blown saves (8) in the majors and are the worst in save percentage (38%). Out of their 13 save opportunities, only 5 have been successfully closed out.

Despite all that, the Marlins are in fourth place in the NL East with a record of 16-15. They are only 2.5 games back of the Nationals and Braves for first place.

The Miami Marlins have anticipated the start of this season and the opening their very own ballpark for nearly a decade. Heading into the off season, the usually stingy management decided to open their wallets and invest in a new coach and some new talent to make the 2012 season more exciting. Opening day came and went, and the Marlins found themselves near the bottom of the NL East with a manager suspended half their games for his controversial comments.

Two weeks into the season and the Marlins are not where they thought they would be. With a 5-6 record, they are in last place in their division (even though that same record would be good for 2nd place in the Central). Their offense has been stagnant, newly acquired closer, Heath Bell, has blown two saves, and Josh Johnson has looked like anything but an ace. Despite their shortcomings, their have been some bright spots for the Fish.

Surprises

• Emilio Bonifacio leads the Marlins with a .341  average and a .449 on-base percentage. He’s also tied for the most stolen bases in the majors with seven.
• Omar Infante has more home runs (4) than Hanley Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gaby Sanchez combined (3, all by Ramirez). He leads the club with nine of his thirteen hits being extra base hits.
• The Marlins Bullpen has been superb (aside for the closing woes). Steve Cishek, Chad Gaudin, and Randy Choate have allowed a combined zero earned runs in 16 innings pitched. The Bullpen has accounted for three of the five wins.

Room for Improvement

• Giancarlo Stanton is doing his best Albert Pujols impression and is homer-less in his 40 plate appearances.
• Gaby Sanchez is batting a mere .200. Last season Gaby averaged 5.9 at bats/strikeout. Already this season, he has struck out 11 times and is averaging 3.6 at bats/strikeout.
• Josh Johnson allowed 21 hits and 9 earned runs in his first two starts. He did not allow his 21st hit and 9th earned run until his seventh start in the 2011. JJ settled down Tuesday night against the Cubs, lasting seven innings pitched and allowing only two earned runs.

The Marlins are in no position to panic, things have started to come together as of late. They are one blown save away from having a 4-game winning streak. With the end of the starting rotation looking solid, it is only a matter of time for front end to sharpen up. Only thing to say here: 151 games left.