--Rosters can be expanded from 25 on Sept. 1. Until then, the Marlins might stick with a short bench in favor of more pitching depth. It's an ideal situation since the Marlins have two pitchers back from injuries -- Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez -- and prospect Chris Volstad who was called up from the minors in July.
"With J.J. and Sanchy, I still feel more comfortable with 13 (pitchers)," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I think we have to protect... and err on the side of caution." --The Marlins are second in the NL with 155 home runs, but since the All-Star break, they've hit just 20, which ranks 11th among NL teams in the second half.
"You go through those little hitting lulls where you don't (hit) home runs but we're still winning ballgames, which is good," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose team was 11-9 in the second half going into Friday. "That's the only stat we care about -- the wins and losses."
--LF Josh Willingham went 0-for-3 with a walk, making him 1-for-16 on the trip.
--LHP Mark Hendrickson has logged 17 total innings over five relief appearances, a huge help to the bullpen. Hendrickson has allowed six runs on 13 hits in 17 innings for a 3.18 ERA since going to the bullpen after his start on July 6. His ERA has dropped 6.24 to 5.80.
--Since the All-Star break, SS Hanley Ramirez is batting .202 (16 for 79) and 2B Dan Uggla is hitting .162 (12 for 74).
--LHP Andrew Miller (knee) will make his second rehab start Saturday for Class A Jupiter.
BY THE NUMBERS: 25 -- The identical number of both home runs and stolen bases for SS Hanley Ramirez, through Aug. 3. He is the only player in franchise history to do that in two seasons.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Getting my first outing out of the way at home is real good, to show the fans I can still pitch and I can still get guys out." -- LHP Arthur Rhodes, who made his Marlins debut Sunday with one-third of a scoreless inning.
