Miami Marlins Series Preview: Cardinals Look to ‘Hack’ Marlins

By Ehsan Kassim |

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Jun 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Randal Grichuk (15) leads his team off the field as they celebrate a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Cardinals won 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Home sweet home.

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That’s likely what the Miami Marlins are thinking right now. They currently own a 30-41 record, which is a direct reflection of their 13-24 mark on the road.

The Miami Marlins return home, where they are 17-17 on the season, for a 9-game home stand against the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

This home stand could end up being make or break for the Miami Marlins, as they try to round into form to and jump back into contention. The Nationals have a 7.5 game lead on the Marlins as of right now, but could go on a run at any moment and run away with the division.

To kick off the home stand, the Miami Marlins will have to make sure they change the passwords on their computers and keep them airtight, as the St. Louis Cardinals are in town.

We sat down with the Editor of FanSided’s Reds site Redbird Rants, Jacob Misener to get acquainted with his club as they prepare for the season’s first meeting with the Marlins in 2015

Click “Next” to check out the chat we had.

Next: Meet the Cardinals

Mar 6, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow (right) laughs with television analyst Peter Gammons (center) and Astros manager A.J. Hinch (left) prior to a spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Marlin Maniac: The hacking scandal the Cards are alleged to be involved in, what’s the latest there and what has the club been saying? Has it affected the players?

Jacob Misener: It seems like it was confined to a few employees and none of the high-ranking executives were involved. There’s been rumors that it was due to some former Cardinals staff who went with Jeff Luhnow to Houston not changing passwords, but until the investigation concludes, I don’t think we’ll know much for certain.

As for the team, it hasn’t slowed them at all. They still hold a commanding lead in the division and they keep on doing their thing.

MM: The Cardinals are off to another hot start, overcoming a bunch of injuries. Has depth always been the strongest part of a Cardinals roster?

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JM: Depth is definitely an annual strength for St. Louis. More importantly, they always have some young kid they promote and he fills in flawlessly.

You’ve seen that this year with Carlos Martinez stepping up in a big way, as well as Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk emerging as legitimate big league players for the first time.

MM: With Matt Adams likely out for the season, is Ryan Howard a potential fit for the Cards at the trade deadline? Will they look to make any other moves?

JM: Personally, I don’t see it. I don’t see St. Louis trading for someone like Howard when Adams should be ready to roll in 2016. Then, what do you do with him?

Mark Reynolds has been more than serviceable which is nice to see given the struggles he’s had in the past. They’ll probably add some depth pieces, maybe a back-end starter, but nothing more than that in my opinion.

MM: How did the Cardinals do in the draft? What is the state of the Cardinals farm system?

JM: If you ask me, there’s no better front office in the game. You can draw a direct line from the Astros’ success to the strength of the Cardinals’ organization given Luhnow was a former front office member in St. Louis and that strength remains today.

St. Louis continued to add impact pieces and, given the team’s recent performance in terms of player development, by 2017, we’ll probably see some early-round picks playing at the big league level.

Next: Pitching Matchups and Predictions

Jun 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) in his dugout in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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

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JM: Carlos Martinez has been ace-like after struggling initially this year, pitching to a 2.80 ERA so far this season. He’s got an electric fastball and could very well emerge as a legitimate No. 2 in the Cardinals’ rotation.

Jaime Garcia, to sum it up, has been dominant since coming back from injury. He’s got a 1.76 ERA in half-a-dozen games this year and he gives Mike Matheny a high-quality left-hander in the mix.

One of the biggest question marks is Tyler Lyons, who is filling in for the injured Lance Lynn (who is set to return this weekend). He’s failed to pitch past the fifth in any of his games with St. Louis this year and has to be considered the weakest link in the staff.

MM: How do you see the series playing out? Any bold predictions?

JM: I’m going with the Cardinals taking two-of-three, with Martinez and Garcia dominating before the Marlins salvage the finale.

Rosenthal will have two saves in the series, and Jhonny Peralta and Mark Reynolds will homer in the three games to pace the St. Louis offense that’s missing both Matt Adams and Matt Holliday.

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That just about does it for our Cardinals series primer. A big thanks to Jacob Misener for taking the time to answer our questions, and make sure to check out Redbird Rants for all your St, Louis Cardinals coverage. You can follow Jacob and Redbird Rants on Twitter as well.

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

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