Miami Marlins Series Preview: Marlins to Face Matt Harvey

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Apr 9, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) throws during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

After a slow 1-5 start, the Miami Marlins had a chance to exact some revenge on the Atlanta Braves, in Atlanta. After dropping the opener and their fourth straight to the Braves, the Marlins offense finally came to life, scoring 14 runs in the final two games, en route to their first series win of the season.

The Marlins will continue their 10-game road trip, heading to New York to take on the New York Mets, for a four game weekend series. New York won the season series 10-9 over the Miami Marlins in 2014.

To get a better idea of what the Mets look like this season, I interviewed Rising Apples’ Daniel Abriano. Daniel and I spoke about many things, including the great Matt Harvey and the possibility of the Mets adding star short stop Troy Tulowitzki this July.

Here is a look at the chat we had.

Ehsan Kassim: The Mets are off to a 6-3 start and are tied with the Braves for first in the NL East. What has gone right for them so far?

Daniel Abriano: With the exception of Dillon Gee, their starting pitching has been fantastic. Aside from Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, Bartolo Colon has turned in two tremendous starts. With Jenrry Mejia‘s suspension and both Vic Black and Bobby Parnell just about ready to return, they’ve also gotten big contributions in the bullpen from both Jerry Blevins and Rafael Montero. Additionally, Jeurys Familia has been solid since ascending to the closer role. Offensively, both Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud are off the hot starts, and it seems that the line drives Curtis Granderson was hitting into gloves early on are starting to find grass.

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EK: David Wright is headed to the DL, how long will he be out and how will the Mets replace him?

DA: The Mets actually got good news on Wednesday, with Wright being diagnosed with a mild right hamstring strain. He was given a cortisone shot, and was prescribed two days of rest before returning to baseball activity as tolerated. Wright is hoping to return right after his DL stint is up, and Sandy Alderson said the fair expectation is that he’ll miss between two and three weeks. To replace him, the Mets called Eric Campbell up from Triple-A Las Vegas.

EK: Matt Harvey is amazing to watch. Seeing his comeback, what would you recommend Jose Fernandez to do as he returns from his TJ surgery?

DA: Last season, I was getting antsy and wanted the Mets to allow Harvey to at least return to game action in September just to get it out-of-the-way. Looking back, though, I realize that their deliberate approach was the right one. There’s no firm data that says a pitcher who waits 17 or 18 months to return to game action after Tommy John surgery will be better off than a pitcher who waits 12 months, but most people who have watched Harvey seem to feel that’s the case. And Harvey himself has said he’s glad the Mets slowed him down. I think the Marlins should take note of Harvey’s recovery and results, and use it to perhaps slow down Fernandez a bit. His arm is far too valuable to risk.

Next: Tulo a Met?

Apr 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) celebrates the win over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Cubs 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

EK: Is a Troy Tulowitzki trade ever happening for the Mets?

DA: I think the potential of a Tulowitzki trade has more to do with the Rockies than the Mets. The Mets certainly have the prospects to get it done, but it simply doesn’t seem as if the Rockies are ready to be reasonable with their demands. If Tulowitzki is healthy and raking in July, perhaps they’ll get a team to ship a bunch of top prospects to them while eating all of Tulo’s remaining salary. Whether that team will be the Mets remains to be seen. With Zack Wheeler out and some uncertainty surrounding Noah Syndergaard, the Mets simply might not be willing to surrender what it will take to land Tulo.

EK: Can you give us a quick scouting report on the starting pitching the Marlins will face this series?

DA: Dillon Gee is a perfectly adequate back-end of the rotation starter with fringy stuff, but he was hit hard in his first start of the season and might not be long for the rotation. Bartolo Colon has been spectacular so far this year, and his fastball velocity has been up a bit – a huge help since he throws his fastball so often. Jacob deGrom has been very good over his first two starts, but hasn’t had his best stuff yet – especially his secondary stuff. I expect that to change during his next start. We all know what Matt Harvey is. After dominating in his first start, Harvey was human on Tuesday, which is something I don’t think bodes well for the Marlins come Sunday. It’s not often that Harvey will have two straight so-so starts.

EK: Any bold predictions for this series? Will the Mets continue their hot start?

DA: I think the Mets will continue to play well, and the difference between splitting the series and taking 3 out of 4 might just hinge on how well Dillon Gee performs on Thursday night. I expect the offense to continue to improve. Another x-factor for the Mets (obviously) will be working around Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn’t been himself so far this season but is by far and away the most dangerous bat in the lineup.

There you have it. We want to thank Daniel for giving us such great insight into the Mets, and remember to check out the Rising Apple for all their excellent coverage of latest Mets’ news and notes. Also be sure to follow Daniel and the Rising Apple on Twitter.

Here are the questions I answered for Daniel (coming soon).

Next: Hech Powers Marlins Past Braves

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