The Marlins have placed lefty reliever Reynel Pinto on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Pinto has pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this season and he is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. But, Pinto has been horrible in August for the Marlins. In 7 games this month, Pinto is 0-2 with a 25.07 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. He has allowed an amazing 10 hits and 3 homers in only 4.2 innings this season. The Marlins have activated righty reliever Doug Waechter off of the D.L. to replace Pinto in the bullpen. He has pitched in 39 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this season and he is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.

The Marlins have designated righty reliever Justin Miller for assignment. Miller has pitched in 46 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this season and he is 4-2 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. I don’t think the Marlins made the smart move in getting rid of Miller as he has not been that bad in his tenure with the Marlins. Miller has now pitched in 108 games in two years with the Marlins and he is 9-2 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Some team will jump at the chance to acquire Miller for next to nothing. Calling up Paul LoDuca was a smart thing and he should get some playing time right away. LoDuca played in 7 games in AAA-ball after signing with the Marlins and he went 11 for 26 (.423 avg, .978 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 7 RBIs. Matt Treanor has been hurting lately plus he’s just not very good even when he is healthy. Treanor has played in 57 games with the Marlins this season and he is 46 for 191 (.241 avg, .619 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 20 RBIs. Rookie John Baker has been playing a lot lately and he is better than Treanor. He has played in 29 games for the Marlins this season and he is 21 for 90 (.233 avg, .757 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers and 14 RBIs. The smarter move for the Marlins would have been to put Matt Treanor back on the D.L. and keep Miller.

Everyone always talks about the other young pitchers on the Marlins but 25-year old righty Ricky Nolasco has been the best one this season. Nolasco has pitched in 25 games (23 starts) this season for the Marlins and he is 11-7 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Part of the reason that Nolasco has pitched so well in his time in the majors is because he throws a lot of strikes. Nolasco has only walked 2.46 batters per 9 innings pitched in his major league career and that is outstanding. Nolasco has now pitched in 65 games (49 starts) in his major league career and he is 23-20 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The best appears yet to come for Nolasco and that’s a good thing for the Marlins.

The Marlins have placed righty reliever Doug Waechter on the 15-day disabled list with a case of right shoulder inflammation. Waechter has pitched in 39 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this season and he is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The Marlins have recalled Logan Kensing from AAA to replace Waechter in the bullpen. Kensing has pitched in 34 games for the Marlins this season and he is 3-1 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He has had big issues with walks (27) and homers (7) in only 43 innings pitched. The Marlins will likely miss Waechter because he’s a better pitcher than Kensing even if his stuff isn’t as good.

With the Marlins current catching situation they should seriously consider bringing back Paul LoDuca as he has just recently been released. The 35-year old righty swinging LoDuca isn’t having his best season but a lot of that what because of a injury earlier this year and sporadic playing time. He played in 46 games for the Nationals this season and he was 32 for 139 (.230 avg, .582 OPS) with 13 runs scored and 12 RBIs. Still, LoDuca has had a good major league career and he’s a much better hitter than any catcher the Marlins have in the organization. LoDuca has played in 1,061 games in his major league career and he is 1,102 for 3,858 (.286 avg, .745 OPS) with 480 runs scored, 80 homers and 478 RBIs. Lefty swinging John Baker hasn’t been as awful with the bat as Matt Treanor, Paul Hoover or Mike Rabelo so he will likely get most of the playing time if the Marlins don’t bring in anyone like LoDuca. Baker has played in 18 games for the Marlins this season and he is 12 for 56 (.214 avg, .729 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers and 11 RBIs. The Marlins are scared to play current backup Paul Hoover too much as he looks overmatched at the plate. He has played in 13 games for the Marlins this season and he is 8 for 40 (.200 avg, .463 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. Matt Treanor was the starter at the beginning of the season but he can’t hit either and he’s going to try to fight through an injury which isn’t a good idea. He has played in 54 games for the Marlins this season and he is 44 for 183 (.240 avg, .620 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 18 RBIs. The Marlins should sign LoDuca before the Astros do.

UPDATE: The Marlins have signed Paul LoDuca to a minor league contract and they assigned him to AAA. LoDuca played parts of two season for the Marlins and he played in 184 games in which he was 174 for 631 (.276 avg) with 72 runs scored, 9 homers, 88 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Look for LoDuca to get a chance for the Marlins soon if he gets off to a good start in AAA.