Community Picks: Miami Marlins 0% vs Philadelphia Phillies 0%

Looking at the Miami Marlins in the National League East standings, you see a team that's in fourth place behind last year's sad sack losers, the Philadelphia Phillies. But when you look behind that, you see a team on the rise after a slow start. The Marlins have gone 16-6 after starting the season 5-11. What’s their secret? Their pitching by starters and relievers places them solidly in the middle of baseball. Not exceptional, but certainly not Milwaukee Brewers level bad. Where the Marlins are really excelling is hitting. They’re currently third in batting average in all of baseball, hitting .275/.337/.424 as a team. And behind those numbers isn’t just one player or two. It’s a whole bunch.  [ Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now ] You can watch this team of offensive dyanamos take on the Phillies in Yahoo Sports' Free Game of the Day. The game, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET, can be streamed for free on Yahoo's Sports Home , MLB index and video home , except where MLB blackouts apply. Catcher J.T. Realmuto has been giving the team a boost with his .315/.333/.435 triple slash, continuing to take steps forward with his offense and improve on his great 2015 numbers. Left fielder Christian Yelich is doing the same -- improving on his 2015 performance with his 311/.420/.511 line, numbers that are all significantly better than where he was hitting just one year ago at this time. Second baseman Derek Dietrich has hit .276 since he started playing full time in late-April after Dee Gordon’s suspension, and while those aren’t Gordon level numbers, no one could really replace Gordon. Even Ichiro Suzuki has been doing well in limited use, hitting .295 in 51 plate appearances. Continue to Article

May 17, 2016 10:15:am EST