"It's no secret the Marlins have struggled at home this year, posting a 24-39 record in their last year at Sun Life Stadium. But why have the Fish been so bad in their not-so-friendly confines?

"There's no reason. It's not the fans. It's not the park. It's not the heat," veteran infielder Wes Helms said. "Whatever excuse somebody can come up with, I can come back with, 'You know what, the visiting team has to play here too.' So there's no rhyme or reason to it. We just stink here. And that's the bottom line."

But Cody Ross, who spent parts of five seasons with Florida and returned to Sun Life Stadium for the first time on Friday since the Giants claimed him off waivers last August, offered an interesting perspective, commenting on the challenges of playing in "some of the worst conditions" in the big leagues.

"Here, it's tough. It really is a grind every day. People say, 'Oh, you're playing Major League baseball, how could it be so difficult?'" Ross said. "First of all, you're playing in a football stadium. Which I was just thinking about earlier today, this is a beautiful stadium. As a football stadium, the place is packed. It's awesome.

"But not for baseball. It's not good. Even when you get a good crowd of 25,000 people, it looks like there's nothing in the stands. Not to mention the weather, rain delays and the humidity. It just takes a lot out of guys, day in and day out. I can remember I couldn't wait to go on the road.

Such seems to be the case for the Marlins, who have compiled a 31-23 record away from Sun Life Stadium. Logan Morrison offered a third explanation to the same question Wednesday night after the Fish lost their seventh straight game in South Florida, saying it was the quality opponents the team has faced; for example, the Marlins were swept by St. Louis and Atlanta, and they opened a three-game set with San Francisco on Friday — all at home."