Series Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks
By Michael Jong

After the Fish’s euphoric four-game sweep of the New York Mets, the Marlins will go after the Arizona Diamondbacks in a short two-gamer before heading out on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals.
Arizona Diamondbacks (15-23) @ Florida Marlins, May 17-18, Games 39-40
NL East Standings
Stadium: Sun Life Stadium
Five-year Run PF*: 0.99
Five-year HR PF*: 0.97
Stadium Dimensions:
Left Field: 330 ft.
Left-Center: 361
Center Field: 404
Right-Center: 361
Right Field: 345
*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here
Projected Pitching Matchups
May 17: Chris Volstad vs. Edwin Jackson
May 18: Josh Johnson vs. Billy Buckner
ZiPS In-Season Projections
FIP | Win% | Marlins | Date | D’backs | Win% | FIP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.51 | .460 | Volstad | May 17 | Jackson | .473 | 4.38 |
3.09 | .629 | Johnson | May 18 | Buckner | .440 | 4.70 |
Projected Lineup
Lineup | Player | Current wOBA | Proj. wOBA v. RHP | Proj. wOBA v. LHP |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chris Coghlan | .254 | .343 | .316 |
2 | Gaby Sanchez | .373 | .340 | .370 |
3 | Hanley Ramirez | .373 | .401 | .421 |
4 | Jorge Cantu | .329 | .332 | .350 |
5 | Dan Uggla | .390 | .359 | .368 |
6 | John Baker/Ronny Paulino* | .270/.362 | .320 | .348 |
7 | Cody Ross | .346 | .337 | .371 |
8 | Brett Carroll | .308 | — | — |
*Baker and Paulino are platooning. Projected wOBA vs. RHP is for Baker, vs. LHP is for Paulino.
Notes
– Not a whole lot of time for notes, but I did want to mention this: the Diamondbacks of this year are a lot like the Marlins of years past, in that they have a lot of offense (averaging 5.1 runs per game) and have an awful bullpen. Should be an interesting little series.
– Last year, Mark Reynolds stole six bases on us during a four-game series. That accounted for 1/4 of all SB for Reynolds last year. Our catchers are awful defensively.
– Cameron Maybin’s playing time may be picking up, especially a solid series against the Mets. Meanwhile, in that same series, John Baker lost a start to Brett Hayes, who did not do much with the start himself. I don’t think this will be a trend, but keep an eye out.