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Moments after Shelby Miller almost no-hit the Marlins, Mike Redmond was fired. The baseball world went into a frenzy trying to identify his replacement, but nobody saw this coming. Miami named Dan Jennings (their GM) as their interim manager. This all seemed incredibly reactionary to yesterday's game, and signals that the Marlins are the same team they always were. At 16-22, Miami still has a shot at the playoffs, but it remains to be seen if Jennings, a man who has never coached or played professionally at any level, can command the respect of a major league team. He'll likely have vast amounts of help in acclimating to the job, but at the end of the day he's the one who makes decisions.
NL East standings 5/18:
W L GB
Mets
22
16
-
Nationals
22
17
0.5
Braves
18
19
3.5
Marlins
16
22
6
Phillies
16
23
6.5
NL East news & notes 5/18:
- With the recent firings of Ron Roenicke and Redmond, Demetrius Bell wonders if Fredi Gonzalez could be next. "It's kind of weird that we're talking about firing the manager at this point in the season, considering that the Braves have somewhat exceeded expectations so far and are coming off a lovely sweep of the Marlins. With that being said, I'd imagine that for the majority of Braves Country, Fredi Gonzalez abdicating the position of Braves Manager would be a dream scenario."
- Shelby miller was just one out from throwing a no-hitter, but instead settled for a complete game shutout, and his second "Maddux" in his last three starts.
- Ken Rosenthal speculates that the Mets could trade Daniel Murphy to clear the way for shortstop prospect Matt Reynolds. The Giants are potential partners, and have already scouted Murphy as a potential solution to their problem at third base. Casey McGehee has been worth -0.6 fWAR, while in-house replacement Matt Duffy has posted a 0.5 fWAR and above average wRC+. The Giants' offense has been surprisingly potent recently, and with Pence's return have a much deeper lineup.
- In a "heartbreaking turn of events" Chad Billingsley is heading back to the DL. After throwing six innings in his last start, he felt discomfort and was diagnosed with a shoulder strain. He's on the 15-day DL right now, but with his injury history it wouldn't be surprising if this was the precursor to something worse.
- Danny Espinosa has come back, and may be "better than ever". In 31 games this season, Espinosa has a wRC+ of 130, and has posted an fWAR of 1.0; a vast improvement over his total of 0.1 from 2013-2014.
- Bryce Harper is finally realizing the potential that so many scouts saw when he was in high school; and Harper is quick to point out this is how he used to be. "This is what I was like in high school and college. That's what people don't understand. I was healthy. Staying healthy is what I need to do." In the month of May, Harper is hitting .411/.529/.982, with an ISO of .571 and a wRC+ of 290. The thought of Harper tearing through MLB pitching like he did in high school and college is terrifying, but it sure would be a lot of fun to watch.