Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves: Three Stories To Watch

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.