The Marlins play 16 of their next 19 games on the road, starting Tuesday in Atlanta with the beginning of their first and longest road trip of the season.
After an off day Monday, Florida opens a three-game series at Turner Field, followed by three games each in Washington and Pittsburgh. But that's just the start. After returning home for a three-game series with the Phillies, the Marlins will then play seven more games on the road -- at the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs. After that they're back home for four games before flying to Colorado and Milwaukee.
In all, that's 22 of 29 games on the road.
"I think it's good to start on the road. You get teams early before they have a chance to get comfortable at home," catcher John Baker said. "You need to establish the ability to win on the road if you want to make it to the playoffs."
The Marlins were 39-41 on the road last season.
"It's important to get off to a fast start on the road to set the tone for the season," infielder Wes Helms said. "You want teams to know the Marlins are coming into town, we got to be ready. Last year we struggled a little bit early on the road, and teams might not have thought that."
