Rays need to make room on stage for the Marlins

[flsportsfan83]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn

[80mins]

Rays don't need to do squat but keep doing their thing. The Marlins need to take room on stage.

And these two teams aren't in the same city, or even particularly close like O's-Nats or something. The Rays aren't stealing the Marlins shine, they're just earning their own.

[flsportsfan83]

Amaze-aga! Marlins just full of surprises

Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist

11:25 PM EDT, July 2, 2008

MIAMI GARDENS

Admit it. This script was too much.

"If it doesn't rain, [ Odalis]Perez stays in there, and who knows what happens the way he's pitching against us," Cody Ross says.

Admit it. This surprise was too rich.

"No, I said I'd get a hit," Alfredo Amezaga says.

Dave Hyde Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

Related links

Amezaga uses delay to prep, then hits HR

Box score: Marlins 4, Nationals 2

Images from the Marlins 4-2 win over the Nationals Photos

Nolasco ices role as ace

De La Cruz optioned to Triple-A by Marlins You said you'd hit the second, right-handed home run of your career out of a rain delay to beat Washington?

Amezaga laughs. "No, I didn't think I'd do that."

Admit it. This season borders on too unbelievable.

"This can't go on," Wes Helms says. "I've got 10 years in the game and my heart's beating like a rabbit every game. We've got to start winning more easily."

The strangest part of the Marlins' rain-propelled, rub-your-eyes, come-from-behind-again, 4-2 win against Washington on Wednesday is how it wasn't strange at all. In fact, it ranks only as the third-most dramatic win of the week.

There was Sunday, when Hanley Ramirez tied the game in the ninth inning with a home run and Jorge Cantu's walk-off single won it.

There was Monday, when Ramirez tied it in the ninth with a home run and Josh Willingham won in the 10th with a walk-off home run.

Now this seventh-inning stretch. Now Amezaga's two-run home run to put the Marlins up 3-2.

"I wish it'd had been a walk-off," Amezaga said.

This is how the best little story in baseball keeps growing more surprising: Amezaga, who has 11 career home runs, who rarely hits left-handed pitching, isn't quite satisfied.

"But I'm not complaining," he said.

In New York, the baseball drama surrounds Alex Rodriguez and Madonna. In Boston, it's Manny Ramirez tossing a 64-year-old traveling secretary to the ground.

In a more (cough, cough) purist baseball area like South Florida, the story is baseball. And winning. That's because all the Marlins do is keep winning. That's the surprising book they're writing in Game 84.

They win with eight walk-off hits by seven different players.

They win with the lowest payroll, 27th-best pitching and 29th-best fielding team in baseball.

They win despite getting one win this past month from starting pitchers Scott Olsen, Mark Hendrickson and Andrew Miller.

"We just win," said Ramirez, who Wednesday was named the Marlins' first National League player of the the month since Jeff Conine in 1995.

They aren't perfect in the way their best player isn't perfect. Ramirez needs work on defense. He bobbled two balls Wednesday that, in an unluckier day, against a better opponent, would have put his team in trouble.

Instead, they get out of trouble for the same reason they have all season: The home run hides all their sins. And no team hits home runs like the Marlins. Remember when the catchphrase was, "Chicks dig the long ball?"

Well, manager Fredi Gonzalez does, too.

"You say the same thing in the dugout, even when we're down, to just keep it close," Gonzalez said. "We have a knack for coming back. Even down two or three runs, we've proved we can come back against that."

For weeks now, I've written how this can't keep going on. But it keeps going on. If it's not Ramirez hitting dramatic home runs, it's Amezaga hitting a winning one. The script is too rich. This season is just too much.

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com

[flsportsfan83]

This baseball season has been nuts. The best ending would be a Marlins- RAys series.

[BULLfreak]

This baseball season has been nuts. The best ending would be a Marlins- RAys series.

It would make it alot easier for the Rays to win it all then ;D

[Bull-by-Marriage]

Wasn't there talk earlier this year about how the NL East was better than the AL East? Well last time I checked the Rays would be 7 games up on the Phillies. So, I guess that maybe the AL East isn't so weak after all.

[Singabull]

The Marlins are slightly above average - at best.  There should be no comparison of the two teams.  The marlins are a few games over .500 in the second worst division in baseball.  The marlins are ok but no where near the level of talent as the rays.

Basically, the ALCS will be the real world series this year.

[flsportsfan83]

The Marlins are slightly above average - at best.  There should be no comparison of the two teams.  The marlins are a few games over .500 in the second worst division in baseball.  The marlins are ok but no where near the level of talent as the rays.

Basically, the ALCS will be the real world series this year.

we shall see. But if the Marlins made the series and lost i could live with that.

[TB Bulls]

The Marlins are slightly above average - at best.  There should be no comparison of the two teams.  The marlins are a few games over .500 in the second worst division in baseball.  The marlins are ok but no where near the level of talent as the rays.

Basically, the ALCS will be the real world series this year.

we shall see. But if the Marlins made the series and lost i could live with that.

True.  Neither of the teams were expected to be as strong as they have been.  It's been a great season for FL baseball teams so far.  Rays-Marlins World Series would be awesome.

I'm out for the weekend, so you guys have a good 4th and be safe.  I'll be in NC with no online access.  What am I gonna do with myself?  LOL  Oh yeah, drink.

GO RAYS!!! 

[flsportsfan83]

The Marlins are slightly above average - at best.  There should be no comparison of the two teams.  The marlins are a few games over .500 in the second worst division in baseball.  The marlins are ok but no where near the level of talent as the rays.

Basically, the ALCS will be the real world series this year.

we shall see. But if the Marlins made the series and lost i could live with that.

True.  Neither of the teams were expected to be as strong as they have been.  It's been a great season for FL baseball teams so far.  Rays-Marlins World Series would be awesome.

I'm out for the weekend, so you guys have a good 4th and be safe.  I'll be in NC with no online access.  What am I gonna do with myself?  LOL  Oh yeah, drink.

GO RAYS!!! 

I'm actually starting to like watching the Rays. Both Florida teams have a never die attitude. At the start of the season I thought we would win 70-75 games, I am very happy with where we are. I also cant wait to watch Hanley start the All Star Game. Be safe in NC. I love that state.