Flashes of Brilliance from Miami (of all places)

On June 4th, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...something happened that I'd thought was a joke.

The Marlins, in town to play the Brewers, weren't exactly thought of as the favorites to win, especially considering their last-place record, and their general patheticness.

Well...the Marlins proceeded to bitch-slap the Brewers' defense, and pulled off a 16-0 win...against a team who might be winning the NL Central this year.

The Marlins. Beat a team. 16 to 0.

There were RBIs from Starlin Castro, Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez, Brian Anderson, Miguel Rojas, Jorge Alfaro, JT Riddle, Curtis Granderson, AND pitcher Pablo Lopez, which means the ENTIRE STARTING LINEUP GOT RBIs THAT NIGHT. EVEN CURTIS GRANDERSON.

This is the kind of wild shit the Marlins are capable of when they're all on. The problem is, those moments are rarer than they'd like.

Unlike the Orioles, they actually do have a competent starting lineup. I don't get a real backup mentality from many of these starters. True, some are older, like Martin Prado and Grandy, but nobody is too immature or too has-been-esque to be starting for a team, even if it is the Marlins. You have actual good players like Castro, Anderson and Alfaro, and you get somebody like Harold Ramirez who could be running the team in a few years' time.

For a team that was essentially treating this season like a death sentence, this is impressive as hell.

My favorite part about this team? For the first time since 2013, only one starting pitcher has an ERA over 4, and it's Jose Urena (as opposed to Tom Koehler). Caleb Smith, Trevor Richards, Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez are all pitching really well, not just for the Marlins but for baseball in general. Only problem is Smith just went on the DL, and there doesn't seem to be an accessible fifth starter anywhere nearby, unless it is just as obvious as simply calling up Elieser Hernandez.

Bottom line: for a last place team, the Marlins are kinda in alright shape. They could be doing a lot worse. I sincerely hope they keep this momentum up, because they arguably have more going for them than Washington right now.

Coming Tomorrow- He of the long-hitting streak and the competent Royals numbers.