Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs: Three stories to watch

Just like last year, the Miami Marlins find themselves facing a huge June series against the Chicago Cubs.

Actually, we’ll be able to say that twice- the Cubbies make their way to Miami this month as well. At any rate, the Miami Marlins have somewhat turned their season around thanks to an 8-2 winning streak, and will look to keep it rolling against the World Champions at the Friendly Confines. The Cubs have been struggling of late, but are fresh off of a three-game sweep of the Cardinals, and remain the premiere team to beat in baseball.

Considering that the Marlins just took three of four from the team that actually had the best record in the National League, there’s a lot more reason to hope this goes well then there would have been two weeks ago. Since then, the Fish have gone 9-3, and have won three consecutive series fort the first time since last July.

Last June, the somewhat promising Marlins managed to take three of four from Chicago, cementing their status as a legitimate contender for the postseason. Fast forwarding a year, and the stakes are obviously different, although perhaps more dire.

In a month that is the easily the toughest chunk of the schedule for the team, they have to essentially continue gaining ground in a hurry or face the prospect of a fourth “firesale”. Beat the Cubs at Wrigley, and that throws a significant wrench into the break up the Marlins dialogue. Lose…and well, actually losing to the champs might be acceptable.

But it’s not a reach to say this is probably the only series they could lose in the next couple weeks if they’re going to fully win back the faith of the front office.

So without further ado, let’s get to the top three stories to watch for this series. From a duel of scorching hot first basemen, to a study of former NL Central arms, to a questionable reliever, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s dive in.