Marlins start second half with renewed optimism

ATLANTA -- The All-Star break may be July 15-18, but technically, the Marlins' second half began on Tuesday.

The Marlins were 30-51 over their first 81 games, the exact halfway point.

While they sport the worst record in the National League, the team is clearly in the midst of a turnaround. They went 15-10 in June and are 17-10 since May 31.

A number of key players, including Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison, have returned from injury. The rotation has added Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob Turner, and Henderson Alvarez is coming off the disabled list to pitch Thursday at Atlanta.

The Marlins have a healthy roster and a renewed optimism that they will become more competitive in the second half.

"We're a different team," manager Mike Redmond said. "Different attitude. Different everything. Those first two months, we had 11 or 12 guys on the DL. That was rough. We just didn't have the guys to bring up to recover it. Now, to get everyone back, especially the pitching.

"Now as a manager, this is the team we initially thought we would have out of Spring Training. We were hoping we would be able to evaluate those guys since the first of the season. Really, it has just started over the last few weeks. I like the depth that we have now. I like our pitching, and our offense is scrappy."