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 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.

The Marlins felt great heading into the 2007 season with a starting rotation of Dontrelle Willis, Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco.  After all all five of those guys won at least 10 games in the 2006 season.  Those five guys started 128 games for the Marlins in 2006 and they compiled a 57-43 record with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.  So the Marlins had high hopes and the return they got from them has been awful in 2007.  The “Big Five” has started 60 games this season for the Marlins and they were 18-25 with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP!  Were Sanchez, Nolasco and Johnson overworked last season or are they merely brittle?  Only time will tell.

The Marlins young starting pitchers were supposed to be a team strength but it has turned into their biggest weakness this season.  Dontrelle Willis and Scott Olsen are the only two of the “Big Five” to remain healthy all season and they both have been awful.  The D-Train is 7-7 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP so far this season.  Willis seems to be just happy to be rich as it doesn’t seem to appear as if he cares as much about his job as he used to.  Look for the Marlins to trade Willis in the next couple of weeks if a team will pay the Marlins price for him.  Scott Olsen has been even worse than Willis this season as he is 6-7 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP so far.  If Olsen just threw more strikes he would be o.k.  He has walked 50 batters in 103.1 innings this year and that is awful.  The other three young guns have all battled injuries but none of them have pitched good at all this season.  Anibal Sanchez (2-1, 4.80 ERA, 2.07 WHIP) is done for the season after he had shoulder surgery.  Josh Johnson (0-3, 7.47 ERA, 2.43 WHIP) and Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 5.48 ERA, 1.64 WHIP) both could return to action soon as they are both currently on the DL and when they get back they will have a lot to prove.  Wes Obermueller has been awful as he has tried to replace some of the injured starters this season.  Obermueller is 2-3 with a 6.44 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP which proves that he doesn’t deserve to be in the major leagues.  Rick Vanden Hurk (2-2, 8.38 ERA, 1.72 WHIP) and Taylor Tankersley (4-1, 6.65 ERA, 1.74 WHIP) have both been terrible this season for the Marlins and have earned their demotions to the minor leagues.

The Marlins lefty relievers have been awful so far this season.  Reynel Pinto and Taylor Tankersley have both been pitching batting practice so far this season.  Pinto has had control issues and that has hurt him this season.  In 29 games this season, Pinto is 0-3 with 1 save, a 4.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.  Pinto has thrown 30.2 innings this season and he’s allowed 29 hits, walked 17 batters and whiffed 31.  If he doesn’t start throwing strikes soon Pinto will be nothing more than a left handed mop up man.  Taylor Tankersley has pitched in 27 games for the Marlins so far this season and he’s 3-1 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP.  He has thrown 19.1 innings and he’s allowed 21 hits, 3 homers, has walked 13 batters and whiffed 13.  He also must start to pitch better because the Marlins need a lefty they can count on late in ballgames.