Marlins meet the Devil Rays.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

MIAMI _ Just who are these guys, really? Are they just putting us on, teasing us with a big series and a game-winning homer every now and then?

Or is it finally time to ask: Are the Marlins _ dare we even say it _ legitimate wild-card contenders?

The Marlins downplay such talk, and logic says it's way too early to predict. But heading into Florida's final series before the All-Star break, a three-game set starting Friday night against the Devil Rays at Pro Player Stadium, there is no denying that there is suddenly a new perception about this team.

The Marlins have won 15 of their past 22 games _ including two of three in dramatic fashion over the Mets earlier this week _ to climb into third in the National League East, tied with the Montreal Expos.

The Marlins are 43-42, only 5-{ games behind the Mets in the wild-card race. And they've gone on this run without two of their best pitchers, Alex Fernandez and Dan Miceli, and a third, A.J. Burnett, who also was expected to have a big impact. Miceli and Burnett should be back within a couple weeks, and Fernandez could return for the season's final month.

And consider this: Only one other Marlins team in the franchise's eight-year history has been over .500 this late into a season. Of course, the 1997 team went on to win the World Series. The 1995 …