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It has come to this: A legitimate case can be made for the Marlins being the 2006 NL wild-card representative. Florida is baseball's hottest team at the moment. The Fish have won eight straight and are gaining ground on Cincinnati, Philadelphia and San Diego.

Since an 11-31 start, the Marlins have been just about as good as anybody. They play with the confidence of seasoned veterans, even though the roster is peppered with rookies.

The schedule gets a little tougher with an upcoming road trip looming. But if the Fish can remain within striking distance, they'll be in good position to make a serious run in the final two weeks of the season.

REASONS FOR MARLINS OPTIMISM

• Ten games remain against the Phillies, and their last nine games are with the Phillies and Reds, enabling them to possibly control their own fate.

• They are 53-35 in their last 88 games (.602 winning percentage) with a starting rotation that includes four rookies.

• Three rookies (Dan Uggla, Mike Jacobs, Josh Willingham) have at least 17 home runs. No NL team has ever had two rookies with 20+ HRs in a season.

• Dontrelle Willis has a good September history: He's 8-5 with a 3.19 ERA in his career in September/October.

• Miguel Cabrera is hitting .342 since the All-Star break with eight home runs and 36 RBI in 43 games.

• John Maine beat the Phillies again -- his third win against them since Aug. 6. Since 1961, the first year of expansion, the only other rookie starting pitcher to beat a team three times in such a short span was Baltimore's Daniel Cabrera, who defeated the Royals three times between June 30 and July 20, 2004.

• Ryan Howard hit his 47th home run of the season, tying the second-highest total in a player's "sophomore" year. Ralph Kiner hit 51 in 1947, his second season, and Eddie Mathews had 47 in 1953, his sophomore year.

• Dodgers rookie Jonathan Broxton recorded a manly save against the Reds, recording five outs while protecting a one-run lead. The last rookie to record a save of at least five outs while protecting a one-run lead was Huston Street against Texas last September.

• Esteban Loaiza threw seven scoreless innings against the Red Sox, and over his last four starts, he's allowed only one earned run in 30 2/3 innings (0.29 ERA). No other pitcher has allowed as few as one earned run in as many as 30 innings over four starts this season. Four pitchers did it last year: Jae Seo, Chris Carpenter, Mark Buehrle and Kenny Rogers.

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• Barry Bonds' personal trainer was on his way back to jail Monday after being held in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the Giants slugger. Greg Anderson could remain behind bars for more than a year while the grand jury investigates Bonds for perjury and other charges.

• Former All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Reardon was found not guilty by reason of insanity Monday for robbing a jewelry store in December. Two court-appointed psychiatrists, along with two defense psychiatrists, testified that the 50-year-old Reardon was under the influence of a dozen prescription medications and that there was no reasonable explanation for the robbery.

• Yankees RHP Carl Pavano has a pair of broken ribs, sustained in a mid-August car accident that the oft-injured right-hander didn't tell the team about until Monday. Pavano, who hasn't played in the major leagues since June 27, 2005, due to shoulder, back, buttocks and elbow injuries, is scheduled for a medical checkup Tuesday and remains on track to make his final rehabilitation start Wednesday for Triple-A Columbus at Durham.

Two more years?
Frank Thomas hopes to return to Oakland next season, but the 38-year-old slugger wants a multiyear contract, not another incentive-laden deal, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

"I'm looking for at least two years," Thomas told the newspaper. "I hope something's done before the end of the season. ... If it gets to after the season, anything could happen because other teams are involved."

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