Miami Marlins Series Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers Visit Miami

Jun 25, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Enrique Hernandez (14) center fielder Joc Pederson (31) and right fielder Andre Ethier (16) celebrate their win at Wrigley Field. The Dodgers defeated the Cubs 4-0. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Fourteen games under .500.

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That’s where the Miami Marlins sit after being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals at home to begin a 9-game homestand. I said before the series began that the team would likely have to go at least 6-3 to justify not selling at the trade deadline.

Not a good start to that goal.

Things won’t get any easier for the Miami Marlins this series, as the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town. The Dodgers are the polar opposite of the Marlins, in almost every aspect. The Dodgers lead the NL West with the highest payroll in baseball, but also maintain a fantastic farm system and a smart front office.

The Miami Marlins, on the other hand, have a front office that is allergic to any use of analytics at all. They don’t spend money and emptied out their farm system this off-season to NOT get better. The team’s biggest weakness has to be their lack of depth.

In the meantime, the Dodgers have used each of the players they acquired from the Marlins to a strong degree. Andrew Heaney got the Dodgers Howie Kendrick, Enrique Hernandez is playing a good bit for the team, Chris Hatcher was a strong pitcher until he got hurt, and Austin Barnes is having another fantastic season at AAA, even earning a callup when the Dodgers needed him for a short while.

The Marlins are getting a great season out of Dee Gordon, but the lack of depth due to the trade with the Dodgers is killing them.

We sat down with the Editor of FanSided’s Reds site Lasorda’s Lair, Stacie Wheeler to get acquainted with her Dodgers, as they prepare for the season’s second and final meeting with the Marlins in 2015

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

Next: Meet the Dodgers