The Marlins have shut down Josh Willingham for the last few games of the season because he has a herniated disc.  Willingham has played in 144 games this season and he was 138 for 521 (.265 avg, .827 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 21 homers and 89 RBIs.  Todd Linden and Brett Carroll will probably split left field the last week of the season.  Linden has played in 111 games this season for the Marlins and Giants and he is 42 for 174 (.241 avg, .621 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 1 homer and 11 RBIs.  Brett Carroll has played in 19 games this season for the Marlins and he is 9 for 42 (.214 avg, .505 OPS) with 10 runs scored and 2 RBIs.

Dontrelle Willis, Scott Olsen and Sergio Mitre have all pitched like crap in the 2nd half of the season.  The D-Train has started 13 games since the All-Star Break and he is 2-8 with a 6.30 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.  In 74.1 innings, Willis has allowed 105 hits, walked 28 batters and whiffed 51.  It seems as if Willis just took his first season making the big bucks off!  He has started 32 games this season and he is 9-15 with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.  Scott Olsen is also having a rough 2nd half of the season.  In his 12 starts since the All-Star Break, Olsen is 3-7 with a 7.43 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP.  In 63 innings, Olsen has allowed 90 hits, 16 homers, walked 30 batters and whiffed 46.  Olsen has now started 31 games this season and he is 9-14 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP.  Sergio Mitre has proven that his first half success was a fluke.  In 12 starts since the All-Star Game, Mitre is 2-4 with a 7.27 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP.  In 60.2 innings, Mitre has allowed 88 hits, walked 22 batters and whiffed 25.  For the season, Mitre has started 27 games and he is 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.  The Marlins are now 65-86 on the season which has them in last place in the National League West, 18.5 games behind the Mets and 3 games behind the Nationals for 4th place.

The Florida Marlins are truly one of the worst teams in all of baseball.  They are now 62-83 which has them in last place in the National League East, 20.5 games behind the Mets.  The Marlins are only 1 game better than each the White Sox and the Devil Rays for draft position in 2008.  It’s a shame because this teams’ future appeared bright after a surprising 2006 season.

Jeremy Hermida was pathetic in the first half of the season for the Marlins but he’s on fire since the All-Star Break.  In 55 2nd half games, Hermida is 63 for 184 (.342 avg, .959 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 7 homers and 23 RBIs.  For the season, Hermida has now played in 106 games and he is hitting .289 (.854 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 10 homers and 50 RBIs.

The Marlins have decided to shut down Rick VandenHurk due to the his workload this season.  This will also save his confidence which couldn’t be too high after all of the beatings he has endured this season.  VandenHurk pitched in 18 games (17 starts) and he was 4-6 with a 6.83 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP.  In 81.2 innings this season he has allowed 94 hits, 15 homers, walked 48 batters and whiffed 82.  VandenHurk does have good stuff but the Marlins rushed him to the big leagues.  Look for him to be much better next season if the Marlins need him to start for them.  Rookie lefty Chris Seddon will take VandenHurk’s spot in the starting rotation.  He has pitched in 2 games for the Marlins this season and he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 2 innings allowing only 1 hit while whiffing 3 batters.  I would be amazed if he pitched well for the Marlins seeing how the pitching starved Devil Rays never thought him worthy of a shot at the major leagues.