Center fielder Cameron Maybin's days with the Marlins may be numbered. At the very least, he can expect less playing time now that Florida has promoted Chris Coghlan from Class AAA New Orleans.
Coghlan is an infielder who made his debut Friday night in Denver at second base, his natural position. But starting Sunday, the Marlins plan to move him to left field in hopes of sparking a slumping offense. Coghlan hit .344 in 25 games for New Orleans, including a 6-RBI game on Wednesday. He made his first professional start in left field Thursday for New Orleans.
"To get a bat in the lineup, we may have to live with a mistake or something. But we need the possibility of a good bat in the lineup," Gonzalez said.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez wasn't ready to declare Coghlan as the team's permanent left fielder just yet. But when Coghlan is in left, Jeremy Hermida will shift from left to right field and right-fielder Cody Ross will move to center field.
Maybin, who was struggling with a .202 batting average and a team-high 31 strikeouts going into Friday, isn't out of his starting job just yet. But Gonzalez said Coghlan's arrival will impact Maybin's playing time more than Ross or Hermida.
The interesting date is Tuesday, when the Marlins have to make a roster move to accommodate another pitcher. Maybin or backup outfielder Brett Carroll are considered most likely to get demoted.
MARLINS 8, ROCKIES 3: RHP Ricky Nolasco allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings to notch his first win since opening day. For the Marlins, it ended a club-record streak of 20 straight games without a starter recording a win. Nolasco got plenty of offense: the Marlins banged out a season-high 16 hits, led by SS Hanley Ramirez who was 4-for-5 with a home run.
