Marlins lefty Mark Buehrle claims fourth Gold Glove, first ever by a Fish pitcher.

(Press Release) MIAMI – The Miami Marlins announced today that they have dismissed manager Ozzie Guillen. The announcement was made by Marlins' President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest.

 “After careful consideration following the disappointment of the 2012 season, we decided to dismiss Ozzie,” said Beinfest. “Our managerial search begins immediately and our hope is that a new manager, along with roster improvements, will restore a winning culture.”

 The Marlins went 69-93 in 2012, finishing last in the NL East.

TEAM RELEASE

MIAMI – The Miami Marlins announced they have acquired right-handed pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for third baseman Hanley Ramirez and left-handed pitcher Randy Choate. The announcement was made by Marlins President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest.

Eovaldi (E-val-di), 22, has gone 1-6, 4.15 in 10 starts this season, getting just 1.4 runs of support per start, the lowest among Major League starters, while holding right-handed hitters to a .202 (18x89) average. He also appeared in nine games, eight starts, with double-A Chattanooga this season, going 2-2, 3.09. Ranked by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the Dodgers’ organization prior to 2012, Eovaldi made his ML debut in 2011 after being drafted in the 11th round of the 2008 Draft out of Alvin (TX) High School. He is expected to join the Marlins Friday, and start on Saturday vs. the Padres.
 
McGough, 22, was the Dodgers’ fifth-round selection in the 2011 Draft out of the University of Oregon. He has gone 3-5, 3.99 with five saves in 35 relief appearances with single-A Rancho Cucamonga this season, with 48 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. He made his pro debut in 2011 and was a combined 1-5, 2.77 with 10 saves in 26 games. He is from Pittsburgh, PA. He will be assigned to single-A Jupiter.
 
Ramirez, acquired by the Marlins in a seven-player trade from Boston following the 2005 season, was the 2006 Rookie of the Year and won the NL batting title in 2009. He is currently hitting .246 (87x353) in 93 games. Overall with the Marlins, Ramirez had a .300 average with 148 home runs and 482 RBI in 943 games.  

Choate was signed by the Marlins as a free agent prior to the 2011 season and is a free agent following this season. He is 0-0, 2.49 in 44 appearances this season and has gone 1-1, 2.16 in 98 games with the Marlins overall (50 IP, 12 ER).
 

By: Brian Rowitz

Catcher: John Buck has not been good, there is no other way to put it. Buck goes into the break hitting just .176 and if not for the fact that he plays catcher he would have more than likely been sent down already. Buck being in the lineup is a problem for the Fish and that must change in the 2nd half. Grade: F

First Base: This position has the greatest room for improvement after the team’s acquisition of Carlos Lee last week. Gaby Sanchez was a liability in the Marlins lineup, when he wasn't relegated to the minors, with his batting average under .200. That forced Logan Morrison into a tough spot, playing out of position at 1B. While the Marlins would love for Lee to be the “El Caballo” of 4 years ago, they'll be happy if he can keep his average at or above .280 for the rest of the year. Grade: D

Second Base: Omar Infante has been the most consistent bat in the Fish lineup and heads to the break leading all starters with a .290 average. His power streak from the start of the year has cooled down a bit, but the consistency is still something to be appreciated. Grade: A

Shortstop: Jose Reyes hasn’t quite lived up to expectations thus far in a Marlins uniform. Reyes has done a great job at being productive if he gets on base with 20 steals, and he's providing his normal solid play defensively. The team, and fans, are still expecting more though when the 2nd half gets underway. The production hasn't matched the hype. Grade: C+

Third Base: One of the biggest question marks heading into the season was how Hanley Ramirez would handle the move to the “hot corner”. After a half-season of baseball, that question doesn’t seem to be  much of a query anymore. Hanley has embraced the move and made some plays that have surprised on-lookers. At the plate he has struggled and hasn't been the big bat the team needs, much like last year. The effort in the field boosts this grade, but the offense needs to get going. Grade: B-

Left Field: Logan Morrison has battled through a slew of injuries all season and that has been reflected at the plate. LoMo finished the 1st half on a high note and enters the break on an 11-game hitting streak. In the field, he's been less than stellar, but his miscues in the field appear to be something the Marlins are willing to accept. Grade: C-

Center Field: “We miss Emilio Bonifacio”. That's a phrase very few ever thought would be uttered, but it's applicable to the Marlins. Boni provided a huge spark early in the season and was a perfect 20 for 20 in stolen base attempts in just 39 games.  His return to the lineup will should solidify things at the top of the lineup. It appears as if Chris Coghlan's time as a Marlin is about over. The rotating door at this position for the last 2 months makes it hard to grade. Grade: Incomplete

Right Field: Giancarlo Stanton has been the team’s 1st half MVP which resulted in him being named to his 1st All-Star Game. The young slugger has shown great growth at the plate this year, hitting for average while clubbing some legendary long-balls. Replacing him while he recovers from knee surgery could go a long way in determining how far the team goes in the 2nd half. Grade: A

Bench: Justin Ruggiano has been the team’s biggest surprise of the 1st half, and the team will rely on him heavily to fill in for Stanton while he rehabs his knee. Austin Kearns was a consistent threat for the team in the 1st couple months, but has struggled to find his stroke since coming back for the DL. Greg Dobbs has been his normal serviceable self while filling in. Grade: B

Starting Pitching: A strength of the team for the past few seasons has been anything but in 2012. Newly-acquired Mark Buehrle is the only member of the rotation with a sub-4.00 ERA (3.25). Josh Johnson has not regained the dominant form he showed prior to his injury in 2011. His fragility, and contract, are a big concern. After a hot start, the Carlos Zambrano experiment has been an exercise in frustration. Fish veterans Ricky Nolasco and Anibel Sanchez have been mercurial, at best, in the first portion of the year. The starting five needs better efforts across the board because a bullpen appearance usually spells doom for the Marlins. Grade: C-

Bullpen: It’s very hard to look at the bullpen and look past the disaster that has been Heath Bell. He's been an unmitigated disaster. Bell ended the 1st half of the Marlins season the way he's spent most of it  to this point, blowing a lead in the 9th inning. While the $27 million man has gotten the majority of blame, and rightfully so, the rest of the pen hasn’t been anything to cheer about either. Steve Cishek (2.17 ERA) and Randy Choate (2.45 ERA) have been the lone bright spots. The return of Juan Carlos Oveido (formerly Leo Nunez) in a few weeks may shake things up. Grade: D

Manager: As expected, Ozzie Guillen's reign as Marlins skipper has not been a quiet journey. Perhaps Ozzie's most memorable moment of the first three months had nothing to do with the on-field product. His five-game suspension following pro-Fidel Castro comments to Time magazine cast an immediate pall over the excitement of the new-look Fish and their shiny new home. Oz, however, was able to right himself and his team, and the squad put together a huge May. Since then, however, it's been a tough time for the Marlins, with Ozzie exhibiting frustration towards several members of his roster. The undeserved loyalty Oz has shown to Heath Bell has really hurt the Marlins in the standings, as Bell has continually choked away games in the 9th inning. It doesn't appear as if Ozzie has lost the team, however. His call-out of Hanley Ramirez after the tempermental 3B needed stitches post-cooling fan punch on Sunday showed that Oz still has control, even if his team is stumbling. Grade: B

Overall: This team has been the true definition of a “Jekyll and Hyde” operation through three months. They followed a record-setting May with an abomination of a month of June.  That being said, the Fish are still just 5 games out of the wild-card with 79 to play. If they can get the back end of the bullpen figured out, the Marlins have shown that they can resemble a playoff team. Grade: C-