Marlins Pass Early Season Test

Roy Halladay, Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels. In Philadelphia, without Josh Johnson getting a start in the series. Yes, I too shuddered at what could have been a terrifying weekend series. Instead, the Marlins rolled into Philadelphia, scored 13 runs in the three game series and took two out of three from Philadelphia, who, until Friday, were feasting on the Nationals and Astros en route to their 7-1 start.

The Phillies could not have set this early season division showdown up any better: Halladay and Hamels, their two best pitchers, were bookending Marlin killer Jamie Moyer, combining that with the hottest offense in baseball seemed to be a sure recipe for success.

The Marlins, however, looked like the superior team, winning big (5-1 on Saturday behind a brilliant Ricky Nolasco start) winning close (2-0 on Sunday) and never quitting (8-6 in defeat, but scoring 5 runs in the final 2 innings), and showing flashes of the playoff team ownership has envisioned.

It was a true test of this Marlins club's mettle, and they passed with flying colors.

To be sure, there are still plenty of questions for the team: can the bullpen find a way to bridge those middle innings, is there a true lefty-specialist and can they find some defensive consistency? For now though, Marlins fans should be proud of their team: they went into Philadelphia and served notice that the division race should be a lot of fun this year.