Rookie Fernandez gives Marlins badly needed boost
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Miami • For the Miami Marlins, All-Star rookie right-hander Jose Fernandez is a badly needed attention-getter, and his golden arm and generous grin might be enough to put baseball back in the good graces of South Florida.
The Marlins have the worst record in the NL and the worst home attendance in the majors, but Fernandez is leading them out of the wilderness. He takes an 8-5 record and 2.54 ERA into Thursday's start at Pittsburgh, and since pitching a perfect inning in the All-Star Game he has been spectacular, with 13 and 14 strikeouts in his past two outings.
He became the first pitcher to record at least 13 strikeouts in consecutive games since Johnson in 2004, and the first rookie to do so since Wood in 1998.