Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves: Three Stories To Watch

Last April, the Miami Marlins did a lot of things to indicate the 2016 season might be different.

The Miami Marlins started the season playing .500 ball against the Nationals, a four-game sweep of the Dodgers, a near no-hitter from Adam Conley, and a winning record in the season’s first month for the first time in five years. But there was one ominous hiccup as well.

The Fish were 0 for 3 against the Atlanta Braves. They would go on to only finish 7-11 against them by year’s end.

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7-11. Great for a Slurpee, terrible for a record against a team that tied for having the second worst record in all of baseball last season. While all losses ultimately count equally, it doesn’t seem over-dramatic at all to cite the Marlins inability to solve the Atlanta Braves as the biggest reason they finished the year below .500. In fact, I’d even go farther, and say it cost them the postseason.

So perhaps it is fitting that the first home series of the season is against the traditional rival. All-time, no NL East team has given Miami more trouble than Atlanta. On the one hand, they are projected to be a much stronger team this year, as the fruits of two years of tanking begin to blossom. On the other, they are 1-5, cellar-dwelling once more. The Marlins will win some and lose some against the Mets and Nationals, that is to be expected.

But if 2017 is going to be different, seeing how Don Mattingly‘s bunch handles things against lesser opponents could be more instructive than any Yoenis Cespedes or Bryce Harper at-bat. Here are the top three stories to watch heading into this short series.

Naturally…Who’s The Shortstop?

Hopefully some fans of classic of comedy caught the reference there, but the Marlins infield situation is no laughing manner. For a more thorough breakdown of this, be sure to check out Phil Kimmel’s piece, but it’s no secret that Adeiny Hechavarria found himself getting placed on the 10-day DL this past Sunday.

Defensively, he’s a magician. Offensively, to paraphrase Bull Durham‘s Crash Davis, he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. Fans will have mixed reactions on this one.

But what makes the story more interesting is that Miguel Rojas seemed to be favoring his shoulder, enough so that team beat reporter Joe Frisaro felt it necessary to talk with him about it. Plus, you might have noticed that Martin Prado isn’t with the team. Or that the Marlins are going with a four-man bench, not five.

Whether it’s what the offense looks like with Hech out of the lineup, or just to see if anyone else that doesn’t play outfield gets hurt, there’s plenty to keep an eye on here.

If He Plays, How Will David Phelps Perform? 

It’s also no secret that the Marlins view David Phelps as Andrew Miller-lite, capable of filling multiple roles and handling any situation. It’s certainly how they used him in 2016. Spot-starting, holding, saving- Mr. Phelps was a regular Mission Impossible.

Unless he was playing against the Braves.

Particularly the aforementioned Markaksis, but really, any Brave would do in 2016. Against Atlanta, Phelps put up a line of 0-2, with a 6.48 ERA. No other team gave him more trouble, at least across a comparable amount of IP. Overall, he had an ERA of 2.28 last season; against the Nationals, over 12 IP, he had an ERA of precisely zero. Somehow though, the Braves just had him dead to rights, time and again.

So how will Mattingly handle this one, particularly with the promise of a smarter and more analytically driven bullpen? Will Phelps get the call late in the game, sent in for a 7th or 8th inning against the heart of the Atlanta order? Mattingly could play him at the first opportunity, looking to instill confidence, or view him as all but unusable, saving him for the Mets.

Next: Marlins Opening Day Trivia

That’s a wrap for this series. As it is a two-gamer, all that matters is the split. But I couldn’t think of a sweeter way to start off the homestand than sweeping the Bravos.