Marlins striving for consistency

As the Marlins weigh whether to buy or sell by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the team is striving to find more consistency at the plate.

The Marlins are exploring help in all areas, and at the plate is one of them. However, the numbers show there is offensive potential. After completing their three-game sweep of the Padres on Wednesday afternoon, the Marlins ranked fifth in the National League in runs scored with 431.

“There’s enough offense, it’s just a matter of doing it consistently,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said.

Hanley Ramirez is a force in the middle of the lineup. He’s leading the N.L. with a .348 batting average. Key is for Chris Coghlan and Emilio Bonifacio to get on base in front of Ramirez.

“We’ve shown that when Chris and Emilio can get on base, Hanley is going to knock them in,” Beinfest said. “Those guys need to be on base, that’s important. We just need consistency. You see it.

“It’s been a struggle all year to be consistent. I think there is enough offense, because when you look at the numbers, we’ve scored a bunch of runs. It’s a matter of being consistent, which has been frustrating at times.”

– Joe Frisaro