Are the Marlins starters for real?

[browntown653]

After taking a look at the Marlins hitters, it's time to see if the Florida starting pitchers are being flukish or are really as good as they're throwing.

LHP Mark Hendrickson - 11 starts, 7-2, 4.14 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 63 IP, 67 H, 22 BB, 36 K
This one screams FLUKE! to me. Hendrickson's career ERA was around 5 coming into this season. But expect the ERA to go up and the wins to stop coming so rapidly. He's given up over a hit per inning with a not-so-good K/BB ratio. Hendrickson had a 5.21 ERA last year so expect his ERA to rise into the mid-4s by season's end.

LHP Scott Olsen - 10 starts, 4-2, 3.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 64 IP, 53 H, 29 BB, 29 K
Olsen had a good 2006 but an awful 2007 in his second full season (sophomore slump?) He's probably been a bit lucky this year though as his walk-to-strikeout ratio is exactly one. Olsen should strike out more as the year goes one but his ERA will definitely rise as he starts to be a bit unluckier.

LHP Andrew Miller - 11 starts, 4-4, 5.53 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 70 H, 23 BB, 46 K
His numbers look fairly similar to those of his first two seasons, but Miller has pitched well lately and should continue to improve, not only as the season goes on, but as his career keeps going. He's been regarded as one of the most talented pitching prospects in baseball and was a big part of the Cabrera/Willis trade. Miller has given up 2 ER or less in 4 of his last 5 starts. He should see his ERA drop if he's as good as advertised.

Ricky Nolasco - 11 games and 9 starts, 4-3, 4.70 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 53.2 IP, 57 H, 20 BB, 33 K
4.86 career ERA and has pitched a season and a half before this year. Don't expect too much from Nolasco...over a hit per inning and not great control. Probably will be right around those numbers.

Burke Badenhop and Rick VandenHurk are the other two pitchers to start and have been terrible.

So upon further review, Florida's starters haven't been all that great anyway. But with low strikeout and poor BB/K ratios they probably aren't going to get much better.

[Shadow29]

I think that Miller and Olson are the only ones out of that group that are going to be putting up good numbers this season.

I've seen what Olson can do and I think he can keep this pace. He wont end up having a low 3 ERA, but I think he can keep it below or at 4 for the season like he did in 06. Last year he just let up way too many hit per inning which killed him.

I still cant believe that Hendrickson is doing this well, let alone 7-2. The Marlins offense has been really helpin him out but once he falls way back down to earth i wouldnt be surprised if some other young starter takes his spot.