HOUSTON - The Marlins were second in the National League in walks allowed with 60 entering Tuesday's game, and manager Fredi Gonzalez is aware of the problem.

"We address it all the time," Gonzalez said. "Kranny (pitching coach Rick Kranitz) pounds on these guys to be aggressive in the strike zone, to pound the strike zone.

"But we forget these are still mostly young kids. If these guys were all 28 and 29 years old and had been in the big leagues several years, it might be a different problem."

The Marlins brain trust still is puzzled.

"It could be that they're trying too hard sometimes," Gonzalez said. "They're still working on stuff and to me, that's the positive side.

"They're young and they're aggressive. I'd rather be trying to control that than having to try to get them to go the other way."

The total was increased when Anibal Sanchez gave up six walks in five innings against the Astros on Monday.

"A lot of different denominators go into that," Gonzalez said. "You can't blame it all on the umpire. At least he was consistent. Sanchez just didn't have his stuff and that's not him usually. And the Astros' lineup had something to do with that too."