Marlin Maniac
FanSided

Miami Marlins Series Primer: Marlins Vs Phillies

By Christian La Fontaine

facebooktwitterreddit

Looking for a bit of positive news in this dark, dark season? The Fish only have two more series at home, both against teams with worse records than their own! Not much you say? Well that’s true, but you’re a Marlins fan, get used to taking the small victories.

First up on this final home stand are the Philadelphia Phillies. The last time we saw them was August 20-23 when they came down to Marlins park and took three of four. The season series currently stands at 8-5 in favor of Philadelphia, which adds hypothetical drama as a clean sweep for the Fish would even that score up.

Philadelphia comes into the series riding a trademark Philly losing streak. This one currently sits at six, the last three of which were all 2-1 losses to the Braves.

More from Marlins News

Meanwhile the Fish saw their string of five straight series wins snapped over the weekend against the Nats. With an overall score of 29-15 it’s hard to say what exactly went wrong in that series, but the phrase ‘everything’ does come to mind.

Hitters to watch

Phillies

  1. Odubel Herrera– The little Venezuelan who could, Herrera seems to have beat the odds and every reasonable expectation this season. He is on pace to record a WAR above three, easily the highest of any qualified Phillie. More recently, his September slash line is a solid .300/.364/.433. If you only tune in for one Phillie’s at bat this series, make sure he’s wearing No. 37.
  2. Andres Blanco–  A career minor leaguer/utility man, Blanco’s bat has come alive in the last month, slashing .291/.356/.430. You may have never heard of him before this but there’s some chance Blanco could be a serious pain in the fin for the next 3 days.

Marlins

  1. Martin Prado– There’s a reason the Fish have had a hot September, and his name is Martin Prado. Playing solid defense wherever, the 31-year-old is also swinging a dangerous bat, slashing .367/.412/.567 in the last month.
  2. Christian Yelich– The other reason though to a slightly lesser extent, Yelich’s .357/.400/.500 would be very flashy if it wasn’t placed directly beside Prado’s. (For a bonus point he also has a sweet first name!)

Probable Starters

[table id=93 /]

It remains somewhat unusual for the Philllies to not display tonight’s starter, but that should be corrected soon. With any luck that Thursday TBD could turn into Jose day!

Do you have an article idea for Marlin Maniac? Tweet it out using #MMfanpitch for your chance to see your idea posted!

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

Next: Koehler looks to keep up streak vs. Phillies

More from Marlin Maniac

Home/Marlins News