August 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Much attention has been directed toward the struggles of the Marlins' offense through this season gone awry. There may be cause for greater concern about the decline of the starting rotation. With ace Josh Johnson out since May with shoulder inflammation, Marlins starters have slipped to 14th in the National League with an ERA of 4.52. They rank ahead of only the Astros and Cubs. Can Johnson be counted on to take the ball on Opening Day in the new ballpark next April 4 against the Cardinals? He has yet to make it through a full season since signing a four-year, $39 million deal in early 2010. Veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez has been the most reliable starter in Johnson's absence. His"
August 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The next two weeks will go a long way toward determining whether Josh Johnson suits up again for the Florida Marlins in 2011. On the disabled list since mid-May with shoulder inflammation, Johnson is working through a flat ground throwing program. He does not have a specific date to begin pitching off a mound, but the minor league seasons likely will be over by the time Johnson is ready to begin a rehab assignment. The Marlins might be loath to activate Johnson if he's only pitched in simulated games. Johnson, who at one point was adamant about coming back, on Wednesday said his peace of mind wouldn't hinge on doing so."
August 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Sidelined ace Josh Johnson will resume a throwing program Wednesday in South Florida. If this time he can get through it without incident, Johnson could return to the rotation sometime in September for a handful of starts. Out since mid-May with shoulder inflammation, Johnson shut down his mound work at the end of June. Since then he's been limited to shoulder strengthening exercises. "I'd like to see him come back," manager Jack McKeon said. "I think it would be a plus, but on the other hand I don't know. It depends how long it takes him to get back through his throwing process and rehab. Is it too late? If you're into the middle of September, do you want him? You might as well take the"
July 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Reports that began circulating Tuesday night that injured Marlins starter Josh Johnson won't pitch again this season were labeled premature by Johnson and the Marlins Wednesday. Johnson has been on the disabled list since May 16 with inflammation in his right shoulder, and after working up to throwing bullpen sessions, has been shut down totally for the last couple weeks after experiencing discomfort in the shoulder. "Nothing has been discussed, but we are running out of time," Johnson said in a statement released Wednesday. Marlins pitching coach Randy St. Claire estimated it would take Johnson a month to get in shape for a big league start once he is cleared to start throwing."
June 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Josh Johnson won't be returning to the mound quite as soon after the All-Star break as the Marlins had hoped. Wednesday, Johnson saw orthopedic surgeon James Andrews about his balky right shoulder. The news was good in that Johnson will be back this year, just later than expected. Andrews found no structural damage in the shoulder and gave Johnson a cortisone shot. He also instructed Johnson not to throw for a week to 10 days. That means Johnson won't be return to his place atop the Marlins' rotation until sometime in August. He is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list starting July 16."
June 29
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Sidelined Marlins ace Josh Johnson will see orthopedic surgeon James Andrews on Wednesday for an evaluation on his right shoulder. The Marlins said Johnson, on the 60-day disabled list with inflammation, does not feel like his shoulder is 100 percent. For peace of mind he's visiting Andrews, who performed Tommy John surgery on Johnson in 2007, before continuing his rehabilitation program. "We'll know more [Wednesday], but it's not great," President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest said. "He threw a pen on Friday and reported a little more stiffness and just didn't feel right. …It's obviously not what we were looking for in the progression." Matt Sosnick, Johnson's San Francisco-based"
June 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson, who is on the 60-day disabled list, had some good news Friday, something the struggling Marlins are desperately in need of. Johnson threw from a mound for the first time in a month Friday. Johnson had not thrown from a mound since May 17 when he experience inflammation in his right shoulder. Since then he has been throwing long tosses as he tries to build arm strength while not aggravating the shoulder. "It felt good, though it felt like I was throwing 10 miles an hour," Johnson said of his 20-pitch workout in the bullpen at Tropicana Field. Johnson (3-1, 1.64 ERA) hopes to get back into the rotation after the All-Star break. The Marlins rotation has suffered"
June 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Josh Johnson's timetable for a return to the rotation came into focus after Tuesday's game, when the Marlins placed him on the 60-day disabled list. The move was not the result of Johnson suffering any sort of setback. The Marlins simply needed the 40-man roster spot to add Elih Villanueva, who through three innings allowed eight runs on five hits and walked five against the Phillies. Johnson will not be eligible to pitch any earlier than July 16, the third game after the All-Star break against the Cubs at Wrigley. Manager Edwin Rodriguez estimated Johnson would make at least two rehab starts. "It's hard to take because he's the ace of the rotation," Rodriguez said. "We have to move on. I"
June 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Shortstop Hanley Ramirez joined starting pitcher Josh Johnson on the disabled list Monday, leaving the Marlins without their two biggest stars. "It's frustrating. We structured the whole team around those guys. There is a hole in the rotation and in the lineup," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said before Monday's game against the Brewers at Sun Life Stadium. Ramirez has been battling lower back and left hip pain and his last appearance was May 29 when he pulled himself out of the game against the Dodgers after the first inning. The Marlins lost that game and have gone 1-5 since then. Ramirez, a three-time All-Star, had never been on the disabled list in his five-plus year career until"
June 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Whether or when Marlins fans will see Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson in action during the upcoming season-long 11-game homestand remains in question. Ramirez's back is improving, but manager Edwin Rodriguez on Wednesday wasn't sure whether Ramirez would be ready Friday for the start of a four-game series against the Brewers. If Ramirez needs more time, Rodriguez said that would likely prompt the Marlins to make a roster move. With Johnson on the disabled list and the Marlins carrying nine relievers, they have a short bench. Emilio Bonifacio is the only serviceable shortstop on the roster."
May 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Marlins placed ace right-hander Josh Johnson on the 15-day disabled list Saturday due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Johnson said he has been feeling discomfort in the shoulder since the beginning of the season, but felt it worsening prior to his last start, Monday in New York. He didn't reveal the extent of the soreness until after Thursday's bullpen session when he decided it was necessary to rest. An MRI Friday revealed the inflammation, he said. "Try to take care of it now instead of trying to throw through it and having to take care of it later," Johnson said. "I've been feeling it since the beginning of the season. Just now it's not getting loose, it's harder and harder"
May 17
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Josh Johnson's run of consecutive starts of seven or more innings ended at six, but that was the least of the Florida Marlins worries Monday night. Johnson left the game after he was struck in the forearm by a one-hopper off the bat of Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltran. After a couple of warm-up pitches, Johnson finished the inning, but left with some tightness. He was replaced by Edward Mujica in the sixth. Johnson is expected to make his next start. "It was more a cautious decision to come out," said Johnson. "It started getting a little tight, but hopefully it'll start going away." Winless in five starts, Johnson allowed a run on seven hits and was at 85 pitches through five innings when"
May 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Roy Halladay wasn't perfect. Josh Johnson wasn't unhittable. Yet the vivacious Tuesday night Sun Life Stadium crowd did not leave disappointed. Halladay, making his first South Florida start since last year's perfect game, and Johnson each allowed a run over seven innings. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins' fielding error provided a narrow opening to start the eighth and the Marlins bulldozed through it. A wild pitch put Omar Infante at second. An Ozzie Martinez groundout advanced him to third and Chris Coghlan dumped a 2-1 offering into short-center, sending the Marlins to a series-evening 2-1 victory in front of 21,955 fans, more than 6,000 of whom were walk-ups. "When you have the two"
May 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Josh Johnson doesn't just look up to Roy Halladay. He's borderline stalking him. OK, not in the same way that wacko follows around Serena Williams, professing his love for her. That's plain sick. (Illegal, too). But in a harmless, baseball way, yeah, the description fits here. Johnson, the Marlins' 27-year-old ace, sees no fault in his more accomplished Phillies counterpart. Is Halladay the gold standard for pitchers? "Yes, absolutely," Johnson said Monday. "You name it, all the way up and down the list: attitude, the way he goes about it off the field, the work he puts in. Somebody you want to model yourself after." Tonight will be the fourth time they have matched up, going back to"
May 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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In a race with only one viable candidate, Marlins ace Josh Johnson was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April on Tuesday. Johnson was 3-0 with an 0.88 ERA in six starts. He set a record for least hits allowed in April (minimum 40 innings pitched). Johnson does not pay attention to his numbers, but he did admit some pleasure when hearing who he had beaten out in that category. Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan had allowed 19 hits in 1978. "I was like, 'Whoa, that's pretty cool,' " Johnson said. "It's always one of those things you look back on later on in life and be like, 'that was pretty sweet, a pretty good time.' " "The kind of month that he put up, everyone respects that,""
May 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Relief pitchers learn to have short memories, and that is what Edward Mujica was employing Sunday, a day after giving up three runs on four hits in the eighth inning and allowed the Reds to tie the game. Cincinnati would go on to win it 4-3 in the 10th. "One of those bad days," Mujica said. "Today is a different day. Like a book, you have to turn the page." Mujica, who had allowed a total of 4 runs in 11 appearances prior to Saturday, came in with two outs in the innning, but failed to record an out before he was replaced, and his ERA jumped from 3.48 to 6.10. No reward: The victim of Saturday's bullpen implosion was Josh Johnson, who for the second straight start left the game with a lead"
April 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Among the announced crowd of 11,442 was actor Charlie Sheen, who on Saturday night performed at the BankAtlantic Center. Josh Johnson and Logan Morrison were among the players who met Sheen. In Sheen's entourage was former Marlin Todd Zeile, who's now a Hollywood film producer. Twenty games into the season, the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!' bullpen blew its first save. The Marlins were the last team in the majors without one until the Rockies scored two off Clay Hensley in the eighth to tie the game. Those runs also snapped a streak of 20 2/3 relief innings without an earned run allowed."
April 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Josh Johnson had just thrown seven scoreless innings to lead the Marlins to a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday at Sun Life Stadium. He allowed two hits, struck out nine, had the winning hit, improved to 3-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.00. Johnson was asked if he could get any better. "Yeah, why not? There is always room to improve," Johnson said. That's bad news for the rest of the National League. "He is going to take it to the next level," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. Asked what that level might be, Rodriguez smiled and said, "I am not going to put any limitations on him." Johnson has always had an overpowering fastball, but he is changing speeds more often and"
April 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Under typical circumstances, it means nothing. A harmless, bloop-double down the left-field line off Josh Johnson with one out in the eighth and the Marlins up 5-0. Except these weren't typical circumstances, which is why left fielder Logan Morrison as he retrieved the ball said to himself, "You've got to be kidding me." That's how Johnson's second legitimate bid in three starts to throw the franchise's fifth no-hitter ended Wednesday at Turner Field. Left-handed hitting rookie Freddie Freeman fought off a 1-0 inside fastball and dumped it over third base for the first of two Braves hits in the 5-1 Marlins victory. "The pitch before I threw a changeup down and it looked like he kind of"
March 27
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Catcher John Buck matter-of-factly said he didn't know the numbers, as if the only reason why was because he hadn't gotten around to loading Josh Johnson's Baseball-Reference.com page. The numbers don't exist. If someone endeavors to measure how close pitchers are to the plate when they release the ball, Buck has no doubt the 6-foot-7 Johnson would rank at or near the top of that list. "He's basically handing it to me in my glove," said Buck, revealing one reason why the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!' ace and Opening Day starter Friday against the Mets can boast one of the game's best fastballs. Baseball history is punctuated with iconic pitches: Mariano Rivera's cutter, Bruce"