Miami Marlins Series Preview: Marlins Face Defending World Champs

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May 3, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) greets outfielders Nori Aoki (23) Gregor Blanco (7) and Angel Pagan (16) after they defeated the Los Angeles Angels at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins, despite going 10-4 in their last 14 games, are not where they wanted to be in the first week of May before the season. They sit at 13-15, in fourth place in the National League East.

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A culprit for their slow start has to be their 12-13 start against the National League East. Maybe a little break from their division rivals could help the Miami Marlins find their groove?

The Miami Marlins will play just 6 more games in division the rest of the month, with the majority of their games coming against National League West teams.

The Marlins will begin a 4-game series with the San Francisco Giants starting tonight. A west coast trip could be exactly what the doctor order for Giancarlo Stanton, as he had a rough series, aside from the homer yesterday, against the Nationals. Giancarlo usually comes to life on these trips, as he returns to the west coast.

To get a better idea of what the Giants look like this season, I interviewed Matt Connolly of Around the Foghorn. Matt and I spoke about many things, including the latest rumors surrounding their interest in Cole Hamels and how former Marlin Casey McGehee is fitting in with the Giants.

Here are the questions Matt answered for me. And here are the questions I answered for him on Around the Foghorn.

Next: Background on Nationals

Apr 10, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey McGehee (14) follows through during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Ehsan Kassim: The Giants are off to a slow start. What are the chances they can turn things around and fix their season?

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Matt Connolly: I wouldn’t say this season is beyond repair, especially not this early.

Despite losing two of their front-end starters (Matt Cain, Jake Peavy) and arguably their most well-rounded offensive player (Hunter Pence), the Giants have managed to cobble together a near-.500 record. That says a lot about their will to win, especially considering they’ve only gotten consistent production at the top of the order.

The team’s biggest concern is the two NL West ball clubs in front of them in the standings: the Dodgers and the Padres. Both have a lot more talent on paper and could very well be ahead of San Francisco coming down the stretch.

EK: I’ve heard rumblings the Giants could be in on Cole Hamels—any truth to that? What does that say about the state of the pitching staff?

MC: Again, it’s early, so I wouldn’t look into that rumor too much.

Yes, the Giants did inquire about his availability in the offseason, but Hamels would come at a hefty price tag and I doubt the team would part with two top prospects given how depleted their farm system already is. However, if Peavy doesn’t regain his 2014 form (which I wouldn’t count in) and the team is on the fringe of contention around the deadline, I wouldn’t rule it out.

The staff isn’t nearly as stacked as it has been in recent years, but it remains a strength of the team when healthy.

EK: Obviously losing Pablo Sandoval over the offseason was a loss. How has the transition to former Marlin Casey McGehee been? Also, your thoughts on some of the comments from Panda from over the summer?

MC: The transition has not been a smooth one. And that’s putting it lightly.

This post I wrote a week ago in combination with the team potentially shopping for a new third baseman just a month into the season pretty much sum it up. I’ve never been a big man of Mr. McGehee’s game, to be honest, and while I want him to succeed given his Bay Area roots, I could see him losing his starting job before the All-Star break.

Sandoval’s comments were unnecessary, but I think it was more a slight to the organization than his former teammates. If the man wants to be salty, so be it.

EK: Which Giant has stood out for the team so far this season? Which Giant has been a disappointment?

MC: The biggest surprise has easily been rookie starting pitcher Chris Heston, a prospect no one thought too much of before he burst onto the scene this year. Until he got beat up by San Diego on Wednesday, he was arguably the top starter on a rotation that includes Madison Bumgarner. Brandon Crawford also gets a tip of the hat for his out-of-nowhere power surge (5 HR, near-.500 SLG), a great compliment to his gold-glove defense at short.

Despite being a bargain signing, McGehee has been the biggest bust.

Next: Pitching Matchups & Predictions

May 2, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Hudson (17) gets a standing ovation as he walks to the dugout after being relieved in the ninth inning of their MLB baseball game with the Los Angeles Angels at AT&T Park. The Giants won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports.

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

MC: None of the pitchers the Giants are throwing out this series have been consistently dominant, but all of them have looked really good of late.

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At the ripe old age of 39, Tim Hudson is still the same guy we’ve seen for the past decade, though he’s struggled with command a little more than usual in 2015. Pencil him in for a quality start since he’s historically done well (seven wins in a row) against the Fish.

The other Tim seems to have (finally) taken a page out of Hudson’s book, mixing and matching his diminished stuff to the tune of a staff-leading 2.40 ERA. Gone is Lincecum’s mid-90s heater and 12-to-6 curve, but his deceptive splitter/slider/sinker combo can be effective with the right location.

Bumgarner needs no introduction if you watched last year’s World Series. He’s an absolute horse with elite competitiveness, and his last couple starts would seem to indicate that being overworked in October won’t affect him this year.

Ryan Vogelsong has been largely disastrous this season, but is coming off seven innings of shutout baseball his last time out. He’s only in the rotation due to injuries and lack of other viable options.

EK: How do you see this series playing out? Any bold predictions?

MC: I really like this matchup for the fact that it pits a pair of underachieving teams with very different, but intriguing, rosters.

I’ll give the Giants two out of three, due in part to McGehee taking his lukewarm hitting to the next level against his former club. (Note: that is about as bold as it gets if you’ve seen him at the plate this year). They’ve been great at home this season, winning eight of their last nine.

Next: My Thoughts?

May 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 7 – 5. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

There you have it. We want to thank Matt for giving us such great insight into the Giants. Remember to check out Around the Foghorn for all their excellent coverage of latest Giants’ news and notes.

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