http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/07/14/2313311/florida-marlins-greg-dobbs-says.html
7/13/2011:
Florida Marlins’ Greg Dobbs: Playoffs not impossible
By Matt Forman
mforman@miamiherald.com
David Santiago / Staff Photo
Greg Dobbs throws to first base to put out Johnny Damon during the third inning of the Florida Marlin's interleague game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens on May 22, 2011.
Sometimes all it takes is a look at the past to be confident about the future.
Take a history lesson from Greg Dobbs, and the Marlins’ second-half chances do not look so bad.
“It’s not insurmountable, because I’ve seen it happen,” said Dobbs, who was a part of the Phillies’ 2007 September charge. They overcame a seven-game deficit in 17 days to win the National League East.
And Dobbs thinks a similar comeback could happen with Florida. Never mind that the Marlins are 14 games behind division-leading Philadelphia and10 1/2 games behind the wild-card pace.
“All it takes is for us to get on a winning streak and build momentum, because that’s what we did in Philly,” Dobbs said. “There’s no reason why this group can’t be the same as that group in ’07. We have the pieces, for sure. It’s just getting everybody to believe in that. …
“There’s a lot of baseball to be played. [In Philadelphia], we made up seven games in half a month. We still have two and a half months.”
Just how likely is it that a team with a losing record at the All-Star break makes the playoffs? Since the wild card was introduced, six sub-.500 teams have made postseason play. Three (the 34-35 Mariners, 30-36 Yankees and 34-35 Dodgers) made it in 1995, the first year of the wild card. The others were the 1997 Astros (43-45), 2003 Twins (44-49) and 2008 Dodgers (46-49).
Manager Jack McKeon’s 2003 Marlins were 16-22 when he took over, fell to a season-worst 10 games below .500 on May 22 and rallied to enter the break at 49-46. Of course, that team won the NL wild card and eventually the World Series.
This year, McKeon took over for Edwin Rodriguez on June 20 with Florida at 32-40, but his team enters the break on a five-game winning streak that bumped its record to 43-48. Florida’s goal is to reach .500 and slowly make up ground.
“Once we get to .500, we’ll roll,” McKeon said. “That happened in ’03. Whether it can happen again, who knows?”
This year’s core is less experienced than in 2003, and if the Marlins do not get back into contention, possible trade chips by the July 31 trade deadline could include Leo Nuñez, Randy Choate, Omar Infante or Dobbs.
“I never really consider ourselves sellers. You’re always buying something,” said president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. “Big-picture view, there’s a lot of pieces on this team we think will be parts of this team for years to come.”
Choate, the veteran reliever, said he is not worried about potential trades. He has studied history.
“Didn’t the Mariners came back on the California Angels when they were [13] back in the ’90s sometime? And that was at the beginning of August,” Choate said, referring to the 1995 season.
Injury updates
Clay Hensley made a rehab appearance for Double A Jacksonville on Wednesday night. Assuming there are no setbacks, Hensley is slated to start Monday against the Mets at Citi Field, Beinfest said.
Rehabbing outfielder Chris Coghlan has been transferred to Jacksonville, where he will play at least two to four games before the team makes a decision on activating him from the disabled list.
UPCOMING
Thursday: Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez ( 3.58 ERA) at Chicago Cubs RHP Matt Garza (4-7, 4.26)
Friday: Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco (6-5, 3.70) at Chicago Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (6-6, 5.01).
7/13/2011:
Florida Marlins’ Greg Dobbs: Playoffs not impossible
By Matt Forman
mforman@miamiherald.com
David Santiago / Staff Photo
Greg Dobbs throws to first base to put out Johnny Damon during the third inning of the Florida Marlin's interleague game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens on May 22, 2011.
Sometimes all it takes is a look at the past to be confident about the future.
Take a history lesson from Greg Dobbs, and the Marlins’ second-half chances do not look so bad.
“It’s not insurmountable, because I’ve seen it happen,” said Dobbs, who was a part of the Phillies’ 2007 September charge. They overcame a seven-game deficit in 17 days to win the National League East.
And Dobbs thinks a similar comeback could happen with Florida. Never mind that the Marlins are 14 games behind division-leading Philadelphia and10 1/2 games behind the wild-card pace.
“All it takes is for us to get on a winning streak and build momentum, because that’s what we did in Philly,” Dobbs said. “There’s no reason why this group can’t be the same as that group in ’07. We have the pieces, for sure. It’s just getting everybody to believe in that. …
“There’s a lot of baseball to be played. [In Philadelphia], we made up seven games in half a month. We still have two and a half months.”
Just how likely is it that a team with a losing record at the All-Star break makes the playoffs? Since the wild card was introduced, six sub-.500 teams have made postseason play. Three (the 34-35 Mariners, 30-36 Yankees and 34-35 Dodgers) made it in 1995, the first year of the wild card. The others were the 1997 Astros (43-45), 2003 Twins (44-49) and 2008 Dodgers (46-49).
Manager Jack McKeon’s 2003 Marlins were 16-22 when he took over, fell to a season-worst 10 games below .500 on May 22 and rallied to enter the break at 49-46. Of course, that team won the NL wild card and eventually the World Series.
This year, McKeon took over for Edwin Rodriguez on June 20 with Florida at 32-40, but his team enters the break on a five-game winning streak that bumped its record to 43-48. Florida’s goal is to reach .500 and slowly make up ground.
“Once we get to .500, we’ll roll,” McKeon said. “That happened in ’03. Whether it can happen again, who knows?”
This year’s core is less experienced than in 2003, and if the Marlins do not get back into contention, possible trade chips by the July 31 trade deadline could include Leo Nuñez, Randy Choate, Omar Infante or Dobbs.
“I never really consider ourselves sellers. You’re always buying something,” said president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. “Big-picture view, there’s a lot of pieces on this team we think will be parts of this team for years to come.”
Choate, the veteran reliever, said he is not worried about potential trades. He has studied history.
“Didn’t the Mariners came back on the California Angels when they were [13] back in the ’90s sometime? And that was at the beginning of August,” Choate said, referring to the 1995 season.
Injury updates
Clay Hensley made a rehab appearance for Double A Jacksonville on Wednesday night. Assuming there are no setbacks, Hensley is slated to start Monday against the Mets at Citi Field, Beinfest said.
Rehabbing outfielder Chris Coghlan has been transferred to Jacksonville, where he will play at least two to four games before the team makes a decision on activating him from the disabled list.
UPCOMING
Thursday: Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez ( 3.58 ERA) at Chicago Cubs RHP Matt Garza (4-7, 4.26)
Friday: Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco (6-5, 3.70) at Chicago Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (6-6, 5.01).
