For years, the Florida Marlins have been a young team with a lot of talent that wasn't quite ready to contend. Based on the first five weeks of this season, they could be on the verge of shedding that reputation.
The first-place Marlins go for their season-high fifth straight win on Friday when they open a three-game road series against the NL East rival Washington Nationals.
As one of the most frugal franchises in baseball, Florida is known for trading away established stars in exchange for high-profile prospects. While the strategy often pays off, it also perennially gives the Marlins one of the youngest teams in the majors.
Over the last several seasons, the departures of All-Stars like Derrek Lee, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Miguel Cabrera have helped Florida assemble a strong group of young players, and after years of hovering around .500, that core may be maturing into a winning club.
The Marlins (20-14) have won four straight to take over the NL East lead, ahead of more established contenders like Philadelphia, Atlanta and the New York Mets.
"I guess you could say we play with a chip on our shoulder," first baseman Mike Jacobs told the team's official Web site. "But it's moreso to show ourselves, because we have been here three years now. It's time to show people and ourselves that we can win at this level.
"You can't use the old saying of, 'Oh, they're young' or 'It's early' or this, that and the other. We've been in the league for a while now. We know what we need to do, and so far we've been doing it."
With that maturity has come an understanding that they can't take their slim lead for granted.
"It's a little bit early to look at the standings," said outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who's batting .371 (13-for-35) in his last nine games. "We got a lot of games left and we know we've had our ups and downs. Just 'cause you start off hot doesn't mean we'll end up on top at the end."
Continuing their hot hitting could make finishing on top a little easier. The Marlins are averaging 6.5 runs and batting .323 during their four-game win streak, which includes a 7-2 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday night.
Jacobs, who's tied for fourth in the majors with nine home runs, missed that game with a tight quadriceps, but could return Friday to face the Nationals.
Washington (15-20) suffered two late-inning losses to open a three-game set against Houston this week, but capped the series with an 8-3 victory on Thursday night for its ninth win in 13 games.
The Nationals have a good chance of building on that win with Tim Redding (4-2, 3.20 ERA) taking the mound. The right-hander, leading the team in wins and the starters in ERA, has given up only three runs over 12 1-3 innings in his last two starts - both Washington victories. He held Pittsburgh to one run in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
Redding is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins.
Ricky Nolasco (1-3, 6.10) gets the start for Florida. The right-hander had put together his two best starts of the year in back-to-back outings before getting tagged for six runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 7-2 loss to San Diego on Saturday.
Nolasco is 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA in six career games - four starts - against the Nationals.
