Marlins comfortable in all surroundings
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AP Photo/Nick Wass
Hanley Ramirez and the Marlins have been strong at home and on the road this year.
GOOD FISHING
By Mark Simon, ESPN Research
Typically, the Marlins have been a significantly better team at home than on the road, which makes sense considering the team has been built around the odd configuration of Dolphin Stadium, which rewards teams with speed and good outfield defense.MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL |
| • Red Sox at Twins, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN |
This season, though, Florida, one of the year's better success stories, has also prospered on the road. The Marlins improved to 11-5 away from Dolphin Stadium this season thanks to a come-from-behind victory Sunday, a win which finished off a series sweep of the Nationals and ran first-place Florida's winning streak to seven games. Sure, six of Florida's 11 road wins are at Washington this season, but wins are wins, even if they come against the Nationals. And the Marlins, a team in need of some early confidence, have plenty at this point in the season.
| FISH SEASON | ||
| 2008 | Home | Road |
| W-L | 12-9 | 11-5 |
| Team batting average | .250 | .265 |
| Runs per game | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| Team ERA | 4.64 | 3.45 |
Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: May 8 | May 7 | May 6 | May 5 | May 4 | May 1
FORWARD THINKING: MONDAY
• Blue Jays at Indians, 7:35 p.m. ET: Cliff Lee (6-0, 0.81 ERA) puts his perfect record and nearly spotless ERA on the line in the second game of a doubleheader. Lee has been consistently stingy: lefties are hitting .151 against him, righties .170. Need more? When he's pitching at home, Lee has held opponents to a .200 batting average. When he travels to their park, Lee is limiting hitters to a .146 average. Shaun Marcum (4-2, 2.59 ERA) was an out away from a shutout his last time out and has struck out nine in each of his past two outings.
• Astros at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m. ET: A couple of years ago, this would have been considered a marquee pitching matchup. Now, with Barry Zito's struggles, it's more a curiosity than a must-see. Can two once-dominant pitchers find their way? Zito (0-7, 6.95 ERA) still is searching for that first win. Roy Oswalt (3-3, 5.33 ERA) is trying to get over .500 for the first time this season. Unlike Zito, Oswalt has shown signs of improvement. He is 3-0 over his past five starts.
• Marlins at Reds, 7:10 p.m. ET: Burke Badenhop (1-2, 6.31 ERA) has the task of trying to extend the Marlins' winning streak to eight games. His opponent, Aaron Harang (1-5, 3.09 ERA), is just hoping to get some help. The Reds have scored a total of three runs in Harang's past three outings.
• Complete list of pitching probables for Monday's games
BBTN ON THE AIR: MONDAY
| TIME | WHO'S ON? |
| 10 p.m. ET ESPN |
Host: Karl Ravech Analysts: John Kruk, Buck Showalter, Eric Young |
| 12:20 a.m. ET ESPN |
Host: Karl Ravech Analysts: John Kruk, Buck Showalter |
BASEBALL TONIGHT MINUTE: MARLINS IN FIRST
SUNDAY DOUBLE PLAY
Every Sunday on the 12:30 p.m. ET "Baseball Tonight" show, Karl Ravech, John Kruk and Steve Phillips take part in the Sunday Double Play competition. Each of them selects a starting pitcher and a hitter to play for Sunday's games. They compete in three different categories -- wins, hits and home runs -- based on the results of their selections. The results are cumulative for the season.
This past Sunday's pitcher selections and results:
John: Scott Olsen (no-decision vs. Nationals)
Steve: Gavin Floyd (loss vs. Mariners)
Karl: Chris Young (win vs. Rockies)
This past Sunday's hitter selections and results:
John: Frank Thomas (1 hit, 0 HR vs. Rangers)
Steve: Prince Fielder (0 hits, 0 HR vs. Cardinals)
Karl: Bill Hall (0 hits, 0 HR vs. Cardinals)
Here are the standings after the first six Sundays:
| Wins | Hits | HRs | |
| John | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Steve | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Karl | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Tune in to "Baseball Tonight" on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET for the latest Sunday Double Play selections.
SUNDAY'S NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES
| GOOD |
 • Dan Uggla hit a pair of solo shots and scored three run as the Marlins beat Washington to run their winning streak to seven games. |
BAD |
 • Juan Cruz and Tony Pena gave up two runs each as the Diamondbacks' bullpen squandered a late two-run lead in a 6-4 loss to the Cubs. |
UGLY |
 • Jonathan Broxton gave up six hits and six runs in one-third of an inning Sunday as the Dodgers wasted a strong outing from Hiroki Kuroda in a loss against Houston. |
FANTASY: PREVIEW OF MONDAY'S GAMES
Adam Madison examines the pitching matchups in store for the 11 games on Monday's schedule in the American League and National League.
Madison also looks at current injuries and details player reports that could help shape the way you put together your roster for Monday's games. Daily Notes
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