Marlins Come Home, Mario Masticated

Mar swung by the Tortomasi estate Sunday afternoon. Despite some Sunday Wells-Fargo work-related interference, games got played.  Mar won the traditional home-away roll, and selected to keep playing on the road.  And so, the Marlins finally got their home opener.

Billy impales Don Shula's arrogant head during the ceremonial opening pitch at legendary Florida Stadium

Game 1: R.Vogelsong @ I.Kennedy
A pitchers' duel all the way to the end, both Vogelsong and Kennedy pitched gems.  Mar got on the board on an unearned run, after a Ryan TheRiot error put a man on, and later that inning, was scored by a Starlin Castro single.  Things got rough for Mar in the 8th, after he had pulled his starter the inning prior.  Ernesto Friereri had a rough one in relief, walking Prince and McCann, and then allowing a game-tying RBI-single from Chris Heisey.  To add insult to injury, after getting his 2nd out, Friereri gave up a 3-run blast to Ryan TheRiot (of the 3-point HR zone vs. RHPs).  With the game 4-1, Torto unleashed closer Sergio Romo who got thru the 9th unscathed.
Torto W 4-1

Game 2: J.Karstens @ J.Collmenter
Another pitchers' duel up front, this one got wild at the end.  Torto plated a run in the 2nd (McCann RBI-double), and again in the 5th (RBI single by TheRiot).  Up 2-0, things got away from Mar in the 8th again, with Ernest Friereri on the mound again.  A nightmarish inning, in this sequence - Out, BB, SB, 1B, HR (Prince), BB, 2B, 2B, Out, 1B, Out.  That mess lead to 6 runs, and an 8-0 deficit for Mario in the 9th.  With Matt Belisle on the mound, Mar made game of things, rattling off 6-runs of his own and batting around in order before Starlin Castro cost him his final out.
Torto W 8-6  

Game 3: R.A.Dickey @ H.Kuroda
Yet another pitchers' duel, but this one held thru to the end.  The story here was Hiroki Kuroda, as he went 8 dominant innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk.  The Marlins got 3-runs off a solid Rah Dickey performance, allowing only an RBI-double by Rollins, and solo HRs by Chris Heisey and Lucas Duda. Romo slammed the 1-2-3 door in the 9th.
Torto W 3-0

Torto wins series 3-0. 

Some Marlins fun-facts in this young season:
- Ryan Theriot and his two game-winning HRs already has him outplaying his paygrade massively
- Mike Stanton continues to struggle, but cut down his K-rate, only striking out twice in these 3 games
- Prince's power is 'as-advertised', with 4 HRs in 9 games
- The front 4 starters have been phenomenal, with the worst ERA coming in at 2.51 from Josh Collmenter

Marlins On the Road for 6, Homer Their Way to 5 Wins

The Mermaids can't wait for Coach T and his Marlins to get back home for some games

Game 1: Halladay at Carpenter
Solid pitchers’ duel to open the season. Home runs were the difference in this one. Prince Fielder crushed the first HR of the young PTP season off Carp in the 3rd, for a 3-run blast. Keither got 3 back off Halladay in the bottom half of the 3rd, in the strength of 3-straight hits, followed by some sac bunting and flying. Bats went quiet the the rest of the game, with both pitchers going the distance. Unlikely power threat, Ryan Theriot belted a 9th inning HR off Carpenter, and Halladay got the CG with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th.
Torto W 4-3

Game 2: Kennedy at Bumgarner
All Torto in this one against Keith’s southpaw, Madison Bumgarner. J.D. Martinez got things started with a solo shot in the 1st, then followed it up with a 3-run shot in the 7th. Theriot picked up a pair of RBIs on an single in the same frame. Game over.
Torto W 6-1

Game 3: Collmenter at Garza
Lots of scoring in game 3, started off with Keith’s first HR of the season, a Mike Morse 2-run shot. Plenty of scoring followed, leaving the game at 7-6 Torto after 8 innings. The Marlins picked up a pair of insurance runs in the top of the 9th, on a Brian McCann deep drive turned to a wind-aided triple into deep left-center in Coors field. Keith fought back in the bottom of the 9th, getting a 2-run pinch hit HR from Jay Bruce off my closer, Sergio Romo, only to have the top of his order go down quietly after that, 1-2-3.
Torto W 9-8
Torto wins series 3-0

Goldy stopped over at Casa de Torto on Saturday afternoon, where his lifetime record was 0-6. Slobbery dogs and the boisterous noise of Jax and Jace have created a strong home field advantage.

Game 1: Kuroda at Beachy
The Marlin’s HR power was on display for this one, as Torto got 4 balls to leave Pac-Bell/AT&T Park (Princey, Stanton, Heisey, and JD Martinez). Kuroda pitched 7 innings of high-WHIP, shutout ball, getting great help from double play balls and terrible Goldy B-Rolls. Goldy’s Giants mustered 3-runs off Kuroda’s successor , lefty long, John Lannon, but it was too little too late.
Torto W 10-3

Game 2: Saunders at Lincecum
Goldy brought out the 1st half of the ‘Cum brothers for game 2, and got his first win at Torto’s house, and the first win of the young season. The Giants jumped all over Average Joe Saunders getting 4 runs in 2 innings (including a HR from Sparkles Denorfia) before Torto’s quick hook pulled the guy for his top flight long reliever, Tyler Clippard. Goldy picked up another 3-runs off Clip, but Torto managed to chip away a bit, on a 4th inning 3-run McCann HR, a run-scoring Princey groundout, and a McCann RBI single. Goldy used Bill Brasky Bray and Kensley Jansen to shut it down the rest of the way.
Goldy W 7-5

Game 3: Halladay at Marcum
Halladay was on again, as was Marcum, setting up a terrific Game 3 pitchers’ duel. Goldy got to Halladay in the first for a single run, on a B-Phillips RBI-single. That was all he’d get. After several failed deep drive attempts off Marcum, Prince Fielder finally got it done in the 6th, taking a Marcum pitch 420 feet deep into the left center seats for a 2-run shot. That’s all the scoring that was needed for Halladay to go the distance (2nd straight CG), who retired 12 or the final 14 batters for the win.
Torto wins 2-1
Torto wins series 2-1

Some fun Marlins stats thru 6 games:
1) The squad's pop has been 'as advertised' so far - 10 HRs including 3 for Prince, and 3 for JD Martinez (in only 6 AB)
2)  Princey has only 4 hits on the season, all xtra-base hits - 3 HRs and a 2B
3)  Stanton is well on pace to break the single season record for strikeouts (set by Stanton last season with 55), with 13 already.
4)  Defense has been surprisingly respectable, only 1 error.  Numerous hits given up on ranges in the OF though...
5)Clippard has already been got to a few times, but is still striking fools out at a 19.3 per 9IP rate