Philadelphia Phillies Weekend Preview: Miami Marlins
By Mike Lacy
A preview of this weekend’s Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins series.
Every weekend, I look ahead to the Philadelphia Phillies’ next opponent and preview their opponent. I try to be as optimistic as possible about the Phils’ chances. No matter how dreadfully they have played, I attempt to find a reason to hope that the Philadelphia Phillies will emerge victorious.
Miami Marlins
Record: 15-12 (4th in NL East)
What’s the Deal with the Marlins
The Marlins are 15-12, which is good for 4th place in a surprisingly competitive National League East.
As usual, their offense is powered by Giancarlo Stanton, but even with his production, the Marlins are only 11th in the NL in runs scored. It hasn’t helped matters that defending batting champion Dee Gordon is serving an 80 game suspension for PEDs.
The pitching staff has also been below average. A large part of that is the sub-par performance by staff ace Jose Fernandez who has a 4.28 ERA after six starts.
The Last Time They Met
The Philadelphia Phillies entered their season-ending series against the Marlins with 97 losses. If they could simply win one of the three games, they would avoid the indignity of a 100 loss season.
It didn’t look good when the Marlins took the first two contests, but in the finale, a strong start by David Buchanan and a four-RBI day by Aaron Altherr sealed win 63 for the Phils. It seems unlikely that either of those players will factor into this weekend’s series.
Marlins Player Who Isn’t Entirely Horrible
In his third full season, Christian Yelich is showing signs of developing into a star. His .450 on-base percentage currently ranks third in the NL, and he has eight doubles and two homers to go along with it.
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Marlins Player Who is Horrible
At one point in his career, Chris Johnson was viewed as a somewhat valuable player. He could play multiple positions and supply a little bit of power. Those days are over. Now, reduced to a reserve role, Johnson is struggling to keep his average above .200.
Starting Pitching Report
The Taiwan native has proven to be a solid if unspectacular starter throughout his major league career. In his one career start against the Philadelphia Phillies, he pitched eight innings of shutout ball.
Koehler is having a rough season and hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in any of his past three starts.
After a promising rookie year, Nicolino is off to a good start in his sophomore campaign. He’s 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He faced the Philadelphia Phillies twice in 2015, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Reason for Pessimism
The Philadelphia Phillies just lost three out of four to the Cardinals, and their offense continues to struggle. They averaged two runs/game during the series and suffered their first shutout of the season. There are also worrying signs that the pitchers might be trying to be too perfect to compensate for the lack of run support.
Reason for Optimism
The Marlins’ pitchers are certainly capable of giving up some runs, so there’s some hope that the offense will pick up. Meanwhile, the Marlins offense has a few good hitters – primarily Yelich and Stanton – but overall, it isn’t especially intimidating. The Marlins’ hitters are the second most prolific in the NL in striking out, so there’s a chance that Vincent Velasquez can have another big strikeout game on Friday.
Next: Philadelphia Phillies Prospect Report - AAA
Prediction
It feels like the lack of offense has caught up with the Philadelphia Phillies a bit. Their pitching may remain strong, but it won’t be enough to win more than one game in this series.