Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview: Will the Phillies become sellers?

May 2, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Domonic Brown (9) singles during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Marlins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Apologies for getting this up late, Justin Klugh and I could not communicate in time to get this up before the beginning of the series. We were still able to put together our little chat to preview the rest of the series.

Unfortunately, the Marlins dropped the first game of the four game set by the final score of 7-2. Justen should have the game recap up in a little while. Hopefully the Marlins can bounce back tonight.

To preview the series between the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies I had an email chat with Justin Klugh , the editor of  That Balls Outta Here, the Fansided Phillies site. Justin and his staff do an excellent job of covering everything Phillies related. Be sure to check out their great site for all Phillies-related news and updates.

Justin and I chatted about everything from the Phillies potentially becoming sellers at the trade deadline to the greatness of the immortal Delmon Young.

Without any further ado, here is my chat with Justin:

Ehsan Kassim: So Delmon Young is back, that must be exciting?

Justin Klugh: If by “back” you mean “here for the first time under intense scrutiny,” then yes, he certainly is. No, it is not exciting. It feels silly. But I think you know that, Ehsan. I think that’s why you asked.

Ehsan: If the Phillies continue to play poorly, do you see them becoming sellers at the deadline?

Justin: If the Phillies continue to play poorly, I can see myself becoming a seller at the trade deadline, in that I will put the Phillies on craigslist and hope another city buys them.  Portland looks nice.  I’ve been getting into Portlandia on Netflix, it’s pretty good.  Chase Utley could be very happy there.  Maybe start a vegetable garden.

Yeah, they’ll be sellers.  Doc, Chase, Chooch, Michael Young, everybody not nailed down is gonna go.  So.  Thanks.  That’s uplifting to think about.

Ehsan: How about that Kyle Kendrick? When did he learn how to pitch?

Justin: Well, he has been on the team for–**checks Baseball Reference**–SEVEN YEARS now, jesus christ.  It had to make sense eventually, and he has been surrounded by some of the greatest pitchers in the game.  He’s never had great stuff, and Ben Horrow just took me to task the other day for insinuating his success is based on following Roy Halladay around everywhere.  I don’t know, his mental make up has matured, his stuff has developed, and the Phillies have had the patience/no other option but to keep him around, and through that, he has made the most of some chances (and abysmally failed in others).  He’ll never be an ace, but he is solid in what he does.  And for that, we… ridicule him mercilessly.

Ehsan: The Phillies allowed seven home runs on a loss to the Indians earlier this week. How does that feel knowing the Marlins have hit just 5 more all season?

Justin: Uh, yeah.  It feels pretty numb.  You guys have five dingers?  Wow.  And Juan Pierre is in your lineup?  And Giancarlo Stanton is not due to that hamstring?  Wow, mmm.  I predict you guys hit four home runs off Kendrick tonight.  It’s just that kind of thing right now.

Ehsan: Think Matt Barkley can play the outfield or is Dom Brown going to turn things around?

Justin: Hey, don’t single Dom out.  John Mayberry could produce some more.  And Ben Revere, are you kidding me?  That kid is praying he can survive on a diet of miraculous catches and hope nobody notices he grounds out to somewhere in the middle every time.  Seriously, every time.  Laynce Nix is basically the team MVP at this point – I mean, what are we doing – and Delmon Young is here, so any time anybody wants to start breaking out, it’d be more than freaking welcome.

Ehsan: Is there any hope for the Marlins to win a game this series? Make a bold prediction on what will happen in the series?

Justin: Yeah, you guys could probably take two or three.  I’ve seen us flail against the Astros and Pirates numerous times over the years when they were considered the most back-asswards teams in the league.  Trust me, you guys should have every reason to be excited about this series.  If any team could hunch over a deflated enterprise like the Phillies, kick them while they’re down, and run away laughing, it’s the team with Juan Pierre, Placido Polanco, Greg Dobbs, and no clean up hitter.

A big thank you to Justin for taking his timeout to talk to us. We at Marlin Maniac wish all Phillies fans the best of luck in the upcoming series. If you get a chance, please check out That Balls Outta Here for some of the best Phillies content on the internet.