New Lineup, Better Marlins
May 12, 2008
Before the second game in May players and fans alike were surprised to see a new order in the Marlins lineup; a lineup that featured shortstop Hanley Ramirez batting third and second baseman Dan Uggla batting sixth. Since the shuffle, both players seem to be playing better offensively and the team is winning more games. With the new batting order, the Marlins offensive production has risen by 2 whole runs from 4.4 runs per game to 6.4 runs per game. The team has also won 80% of their games (which can also be accredited to better production from the starting rotation). The team has also scored 7 or more runs in five of their past ten games, only one time less than in their previous 28 games. However, it is important to note that the Marlins have faced only five pitchers with an ERA lower than 4.00 while facing three pitchers with an ERA higher than 6.00 during this ten-game stretch.
Since moving to sixth in the order and subsequently fifth due to his production, Uggla has accounted for 14 hits resulting in a batting average of .438 over this ten-game time span. This is 193 points better than his batting average before the lineup switch. The Marlins shortstop has also produced 16 RBIs and 8 home runs while scoring 16 times himself during this recent hot streak. In the last ten games, Uggla has risen his on-base percentage 40 points and slugging percentage 165 points resulting in an OPS increase of 205 points to help the Marlins achieve a MLB-best record of 23-15.
Hanley Ramirez has also produced a higher batting average in the last 10 games then he did prior to the switch. During this 10-game stretch, Rameriz accounted for 12 hits and a batting average of .364 in the third spot, 42 points higher than his batting average of .322 prior to the second of May. Although the team as a whole has a better runs per game average during this stretch, Hanley has only contributed 3 RBIs and 1 home run from the plate. The Marlins shortstop has however scored 11 times and stolen 4 bases. The former NL rookie of the year has seen a rise in his season on-base percentage by 30 points since the change in the lineup.
One could only imagine how much better this line up could be once injured first baseman Mike Jacobs and leftfielder Josh Willingham return to the lineup to replace the aging Luis Gonzalez and Wes Helms (who turned 32 today).
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