Miami Marlins Series Preview: Revisiting the Marlins-Jays Blockbuster Trade

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Jun 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes (7) congratulates starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) after his complete game win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Toronto Blue Jays defeated Washington Nationals 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

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

KF: The Blue Jays will be sending the trio of Marco Estrada, Mark Buehrle, and Aaron Sanchez to the hill against the Marlins.

Estrada is a fly-ball pitcher that can be prone to the long-ball. He throws a low 90’s fastball, but compliments that well with one of the best change-ups in baseball and a looping curve. If he can keep the Marlins off balance and keep the ball in the yard, he can be quite good. However, he’s not an effective arm the third time through a line-up, so he’s best spent in small doses.

Buehrle, well Marlins fans are familiar with the wily veteran. He’s going mix up speeds and work quick, not giving hitters a whole lot of time to guess what he’s going to throw next. He’s coming off of back-to-back complete games, so Buehrle’s in a good spot right now.

Aaron Sanchez is the pride and joy of the Blue Jays farm system, and the only member of the Big Three (Nicolino, Syndergaard) that the Blue Jays refused to part with. When he can control his wicked movement and throw strikes, Sanchez is tough to square up and generates a lot of ground balls. However, that same movement can make his 97 MPH fastball unpredictable at times and can lead to control issues.

MM: How do you see the series playing out? Any bold predictions? Will Giancarlo Stanton‘s power be allowed to cross the border?

KF: The Blue Jays are finally playing some good baseball, and come in having won five straight. They should be able to keep that going against the Marlins in my opinion, with only the Haren outing potentially worrying me. However, if there is a park for Stanton to collect a few home runs, Rogers Centre is it, and with a pair of soft-tossers on the mound, it may be the right mix for Miami’s other bats to break out as well.

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That just about does it for our Jays series primer. A big thanks to Kyle Franzoni for taking the time to answer our questions, and make sure to check out Jays Journal for all your Toronto Blue Jays coverage. You can follow Kyle and Jays Journal on Twitter as well.

Follow Marlin Maniac on Twitter @MarlinManiac for all your Miami Marlins news, opinion and analysis!

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