New York Mets @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Monday, April 28th 7:10 PM EST (Game 26)
Apr 23, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
There are only two reasons to watch the Miami Marlins in 2013: Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez. Whenever Jose has taken the mound for the Fish, it has been one of the few times that all eyes have been on the team.
When the Jose takes the mound Monday, he will be opposed by another hot young arm in baseball in Matt Harvey. This pitching matchup has been hyped as a must see event since the matchups were announced on Friday. The Marlins will face off against Harvey and his dominant repertoire for the first time and Fernandez will face the team he made his Major League debut against.
For more coverage, check out the chat I had with Daniel Abriano, editor of the Mets Rising Apple site, as well as our series preview.
Pitching Matchup:
IP | ERA | FIP | Mets | Date | Marlins | IP | ERA | FIP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
35.0 | 1.54 | 2.37 | Harvey | April 28 | Fernandez | 20.0 | 4.50 | 3.10 |
Projected Lineup
Lineup | Player | AVG. | OBP. | SLG % |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Juan Pierre | .209 | .236 | .244 |
2 | Donovan Solano | .244 | .309 | .267 |
3 | Giancarlo Stanton | .243 | .361 | .414 |
4 | Placido Polanco | .286 | .341 | .333 |
5 | Greg Dobbs | .232 | .299 | .304 |
6 | Justin Ruggiano | .215 | .271 | .392 |
7 | Rob Brantly | .219 | .301 | .328 |
8 | Nick Green | .278 | .278 | .444 |
Unless Joe Mahoney is injured, manager Mike Redmond‘s decision to start Dobbs over him at first base is perplexing. Mahoney has been the better player, defensively and offensively. ZiPS projects a .297 wOBA for the rest of the season from Mahoney and a .283 wOBA from Dobbs. ZiPS also projects Mahoney to be the better defender at first.
No other major gripes with the rest of the lineup, even though Justin Ruggiano is the Marlins second best power hitter, he has scuffled of late.
Bold Prediction: Jose Fernandez bounces back from two disappointing starts and has a strong showing against the Mets, striking out seven Mets hitters over 6 innings of work. He picks up his first win of the season in this one. Giancarlo goes deep off of Harvey, which is the only run of the game.