Twins vs. Marlins Game Preview 3/4/14

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After a great start to the season that saw the Miami Marlins win their first two exhibition games, then their first 3 Grapefruit League games, Miami has dropped their last 2, including a shutout yesterday to the Houston Astros. The Marlins will look to rebound today as they take on the Minnesota Twins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.

The Twins will send former New York Yankee Phil Hughes to the mound, and Miami will counter with Tom Koehler. Koehler is in competition for either a spot in the rotation, or possibly a spot in the bullpen. He has been throwing well this spring, and I believe he has the inside track for the long reliever role out of the bullpen. Today will be a big day for him as we will get to see him pitching in live game action.

Here is the Marlins lineup:

Adeiny Hechavarria – SS
Christian Yelich – LF
Giancarlo Stanton – DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – C
Marcell Ozuna – CF
Derek Dietrich – 3B
Greg Dobbs – 1B
Ed Lucas – 2B
Brian Bogusevic – RF

Tom Koehler – P

Keep an ear out for Derek Dietrich today. Dietrich has been playing really well this spring. He has shown sparkling defense at third base and has swung the bat well. He is a long shot to make the team, but his play may force the Marlins hand and they could have no choice but to keep him up. It will be interesting to see how he performs getting the start today.

This game will not be televised, but you can catch the game on your radio dial. The Twins will broadcast on 96.3 K-TWIN and TIBN and the Marlins will broadcast on WAQI 710. Of course if you subscribe to the MLB.TV service you can listen to the games through that platform as well. For updates throughout the game be sure to check out our Facebook page.