Good pitching can help pick up Miami's bats

ATLANTA -- What the Marlins are experiencing this month is a case of good hitting being shut down by good pitching.

In August, Miami has scored 97 runs in 25 games, the 12th most in the National League. Overall, the production has been good, as the Marlins are sixth in the NL with 540 runs.

While the Marlins can certainly help out the pitching by improving their ability to come through in the clutch, manager Mike Redmond notes success from their own pitchers can help relieve the burden on the hitters.

"It seems like we've been getting guys on base, we just can't get that big blow to give us some breathing room," Redmond said. "We need that to take pressure off our pitching and our bullpen.

"At the same time, we're going up against good teams and good pitchers at a time of the year where they are trying to shut us down. That's why we always talk about how important pitching is when it comes to crunch time, because good pitching always finds a way to get the hitters out."