Marlins infielders in midst of record errorless streak
The Miami Marlins' incredible June is now record-setting.
During the team's win over the Cubs on Sunday, Marlins infielders played nine innings of error-free baseball for a 26th consecutive game. It's the longest such streak by any one team's infield since 1913, according to STATS LLC, and it's already passed last year's league-high of 25 that was set by the Orioles.
"The defense has been really good," Marlins manager Don Mattingly told Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald. "We seemed shaky early, but we've really kind of hit our stride."
And what a time to hit that stride. Since May 29, when second baseman Derek Dietrich committed an eighth-inning error in Atlanta, the Marlins have gone on a 15-11 run to push themselves back into a wild-card spot, and in second place in the NL East - just 3 1/2 back of Washington - while playing spotless infield defense.
The team expected great defense after the 2015 Marlins set a new club record for errors and fielding percentage, but they also had a Gold Glove combo in award winner Dee Gordon at second, and finalist Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop. But Gordon was lost to a PED suspension early on, which makes the current streak all the more impressive.
"We've been a pretty good defensive club, and we thought we would be (again)," Mattingly said. "(Martin Prado's) been unbelievable at third. Hechavarria, obviously, he’s been one of those guys on the Gold Glove list the last few years. Derek's been solid. Justin Bour’s been fine at first."
FLAWLESS FIELDERS: MARLINS INFIELDERS IN 2016
| Player | Pos. | IF Gms. | Def. Chncs. | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Bour | 1B | 58 | 412 | 3 |
| Derek Dietrich | 2B | 49 | 184 | 3 |
| Martin Prado | 3B | 70 | 153 | 2 |
| Adeiny Hechavarria | SS | 73 | 264 | 4 |
| Chris Johnson | UTIL | 51 | 184 | 1 |
| Miguel Rojas | UTIL | 64 | 139 | 2 |
Dietrich, in particular, has grown immensely in his skill set with the glove, replacing Gordon at the keystone without missing a step after beginning his career with 12 errors in 101 games.
"A lot of the credit has to go to (longtime Marlins infield coach) Perry Hill and the way he prepares us to do our job," Dietrich said of his improvement. "He’s helped me trust myself and just slow the game down."
The beneficiaries of all this infield work, of course, are Marlins pitchers, who've struggled at times this year save for Jose Fernandez. They're very appreciative of what's happening behind them on a daily basis.
"It's been great," Fernandez said. "You guys probably see it a lot. They come here early. They do early work. When we're hitting BP they’re catching ground balls."