Marlins' win ends home skid at 11
Rookie Josh Johnson allowed only one unearned run in six innings, and the Florida Marlins totaled 17 hits to end their streak of 11 consecutive home losses by beating the Atlanta Braves 11-3 Wednesday night.
Miguel Cabrera led the Marlins' offense by going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, two RBIs and four runs scored. Joe Borchard homered and had a career-high four RBIs.
The Marlins' home streak matched a franchise record, and they snapped a four-game losing streak overall.
Extra bases
Tests on Randy Johnson's left shoulder showed nothing abnormal, the Yankees said a day after he gave up seven runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-3 loss to the Red Sox. . . . The Tigers' Magglio Ordonez went 2-for-4 in Wednesday's win over the Orioles but his streak of homering in consecutive games ended at four. . . . The Phillies plan to call up top pitching prospect Cole Hamels to make his major-league debut Friday against the Reds. The 22-year-old left-hander is 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA in seven minor-league starts this year. . . . Will Cunnane, a 32-year-old right-hander, signed a Triple-A contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 184 big-league games with the Cubs and three other teams, he's 13-12 with a 5.26 ERA.
Treanor: Marlins are Learning
I haven't had to go to Joe Girardi for advice. He usually comes up to me before I even have a chance.
Stuff will happen during the game and he's looking for me. He'll see something going on and tell me how it should be handled if I'm in that situation. He'll have me run up to the clubhouse and look at some video real quick of certain plays sometimes.
Joe doesn't miss much. When he played, that's how he was on the field. He was in charge of everything. Now he's trying to instill that same level of game awareness in us. You can control the game from behind the plate.
Of course I was excited about him getting hired. He's a grinder. I think the part I was most excited about was that I was going to learn a lot. Even at 30 years old, you always hear guys saying you can learn more every year. Knowing that Joe was a catcher, I knew I was going to get hands-on stuff that would be valuable to me, specifically.
You have different ways to reach each pitcher on this staff and you need to learn what makes each one of them tick. You might have to kick a guy in the butt or build up his confidence. For example, Dontrelle Willis, you have to slow him down because he tends to want to get three, four guys out -- sometimes all at once. Some of the younger guys, you have to go out there and bring them back to reality, have them refocus and realize where they're at again.
It's important, especially with most of the young guys, to give them a solid game plan. That gives them a productive way to focus their minds rather than thinking, "Oh, we're in Wrigley Field or we're in Miami or Cincinnati," or wherever we're playing.
While everybody knows the game is the game, it does speed up a little bit here. If you can realize that and slow it down in your own way, whatever that is, you're going to be all right. Inexperience isn't as big a factor as people tend to think. Yeah, guys get flustered, they see a lot of people in the stands. They see that they're in a big stadium rather than seeing open air. It does get different, but the most part, the game is the game.
We've got a lot of natural talent on the Marlins. We've got a lot of guys with a lot of upside. Getting everyone to play with that level of baseball awareness is going to be the challenge, not just for the coaching staff, but for the players that have been around a little bit.
Some of our bench players have been around. I know Wes Helms has talked to a few guys, just letting them know they're not out there by themselves. Everybody learns. It's not like you're coming down on somebody. You could be 38 or 40 years old and guys are still learning the game.
It's been really cool to see all of these young careers getting started, though. Especially in the first week of the season, you see balls coming out of the game -- souvenirs of their first hits, first RBIs, first home runs ... that type of stuff.
It's also exciting because it took me a long time to get to the big leagues. I appreciate what it takes to get here. To see guys getting a chance early on in their careers is pretty cool. You're going to see some of these guys playing in the big leagues for a long time, too.
Loria renews threat to move Marlins
Loria said the Marlins will find another home if they're unable to swing a deal soon for a new ballpark in South Florida. And he acknowledged that talks with local officials remain at a standstill.
"I'm optimistic and hopeful that a new stadium will materialize," Loria said. "I'm basically an optimistic person. But some of that optimism disappeared in the last year."
Talks regarding a stadium adjacent to the Orange Bowl collapsed last spring, and Loria received permission from the commissioner's office in November to investigate relocation. He has talked with San Antonio officials about moving the team there.
"San Antonio is a very viable market, and they're very serious," Loria said. "Read my lips -- they're serious."
The prospect of a move to San Antonio has failed to revive negotiations with South Florida officials, Loria said.
"I'm hoping we can get this thing moved along," he said. "I'm hoping to re-energize the mayor and the city managers. We all have to get together to make this thing happen -- everybody who wants to save baseball in South Florida."
Because the Miami area has a much larger population than San Antonio and is a bigger TV market, it's uncertain whether Major League Baseball officials would permit a move there.
"They would like us to solve our problem here," Loria said, "but that doesn't mean it's solvable."
The Marlins have been seeking a new ballpark since their first season in 1993. After finishing last in the NL in attendance in 2005 despite a winning season, the Marlins reduced their payroll by 73 percent to the lowest in the majors, and ticket sales this season are the worst yet for the franchise.
The team will remain in its current home through next season at least, but Loria has said the Marlins must find a new place to play by 2011. And Loria said he wants a decision regarding their future in South Florida well before the end of this season.
"I need resolution, because there are other options," he said. "We need to act on those options -- out of town."
Marlins sent Jorgensen to Reds
Jorgensen, who was hitless in four at-bats last year after being called up in September, came to the Marlins from the Cubs with Dontrelle Willis on March 27, 2002, in the trade for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.
Florida also acquired right-hander Todd Wellemeyer from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitchers Lincoln Holdzkom and Zach McCormack.
Marlins mince Mets
"It just gets worse every day," manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday, when the Marlins beat the New York Mets 12-7. "They've done what we've asked. Unfortunately we can't take everyone with us."
Chris Aguila went 3-for-3 to raise his batting average to .327, Reggie Abercrombie went 1-for-2 with two RBIs (.386) and Eric Reed went 3-for-5 with two RBIs (.327). One of them is expected to play centre field and one could end up starting in left field.
"They're making it difficult on us and that's the way you want it to be," Girardi said. "You want guys fighting for it."
Abercrombie leads the team with 16 RBIs, but he's also tied with Jeremy Hermida with 16 strikeouts.
Jose Lima allowed five runs in two innings for the Mets, raising his ERA to 9.24.
Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to raise his batting average to .538, while Carlos Beltran went 2 for 4 (.400).
Notes: RHP Brian Bannister won a spot in the Mets' rotation Tuesday when Aaron Heilman was put in the bullpen. Heilman allowed one run in two innings against the Marlins. ... Florida acquired RHP Todd Wellemeyer from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitchers Lincoln Holdzkom and Zach McCormack. ... Florida dealt C Ryan Jorgensen to Cincinnati for INF Carlos Piste in a swap of minor leaguers. ... If the Marlins don't tell Matt Herges and Kerry Ligtenberg by Wednesday that they will be on the opening-day roster, the relievers can decide to become free agents. OFs Matt Cepicky and Mike Kinkade have similar provisions in their minor league contracts. Ligtenberg allowed three runs in two innings Tuesday.
Cubs Send Todd Wellemeyer to Marlins
The 27-year-old Wellemeyer was taken by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2000 amateur draft. He has pitched in 57 major league games with Chicago over three seasons, mainly in relief, with a 5-3 record and a 6.19 ERA. He is 32-29 with a 4.15 ERA in 106 minor league games.
Wellemeyer was 2-1 with a 6.12 ERA in three stints with the Cubs last season. He pitched in eight exhibition games this spring training with an 0-0 record and an 8.25 ERA.
Holdzkom, 24, has a 2.86 ERA in 110 games in the Florida organization and has 194 strikeouts in 160 innings. The right-hander pitched in 12 games at the Class A level a year ago while recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery.
McCormack, 24, is 8-8 with a 4.88 ERA and 7 saves in 86 career relief appearances. He is a left-hander who spent most of last season in Class A.