Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview

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Well Marlin Maniacs, tonight the season’s second road trip wraps up in perfectly sensible geographical order for the Miami Marlins.

What started for the Miami Marlins on the shores of the Pacific in Seattle, made its way way down the I-5 to sunny San Diego, now reaches its logical conclusion in…..Philadelphia.

Thanks for the air miles, MLB execs.

Will It Be April Showers or May Flowers?

It’s no secret that the Miami Marlins have struggled mightily against their division in seasons past, with the disaster of 2016 being the most glaring and recent in a long line of examples.

However, so far in 2017, the Fish are 6-5 against the NL East. The club has dominated the Mets, held serve against the Braves, and done about what was expected of them in losing a closely contested road series to the Nationals.

The Phills are the wild-card of the deck, and the way this series plays out could go a long way towards determining how this season plays out.

Apologies if it seems a tired theme in many of these previews so far. But, that record against the division, especially Least of the East Atlanta and Philadelphia, doomed us last year.

So there really is a lot riding mentally here. Win the series, and the Marlins can carry an 8-6 mark on-wards into May. Even just winning a game ensures a .500 mark, though it re-conjures all of the 2016 ghosts of failing against lesser opponents.

Get swept….and Don Mattingly will be picking up the pieces of shattered psyche for weeks.

Will the good times keep rolling for the Miami Marlins now that they are back East? Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Will Giancarlo Stanton Be Able To Keep The Sweet Swing Going For The Marlins?

No matter how dire the hitting slump the Marlins top HR threat might have fallen into over the past few seasons, fans always brightened when the club left for a tour of the West Coast.

Because there might not be a hitter in baseball who gets more pumped about hitting in his native time zone than Giancarlo Stanton.

Really, as soon as you hit Denver, you can expect Stanton to start wrecking the ball, and wrecking ballparks in the process. Arizona is the only weird outlier, as the Big Fella hits for average and power prodigiously in all Western stadiums; at Chase Field, its just the homers.

This trip was no different. Stanton crushed 4 HRs over the past six games, and has actually raised his average to .300 for the season. If you can actually remember the last time Big G was hitting .300 or better more than one day into the season, please apply to write the site.

Really, you should do that.

So the question is can Stanton keep those good times rolling now that he’s back out East? It’s a tough test off the back, as he’s hit for an abysmal .229 at Citizens Bank Park for his career. If he can, this series might be over before it begins. If not…get your nails ready for biting.

The Phillies starter for the finale was almost a member of the Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

What Might Have Been

Lastly, there will be the curiosity of seeing the Marlins tackle Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson. The Fish reportedly made a concerted effort to trade for him last July, and could have were it not for that disastrous Andrew Cashner trade.

Hellickson started 2016 with Philadelphia, and was well acquainted with Miami, carving them up to the tune of a 3-1 record with a 2.01 ERA across just over 40 IP.

Finishing the season with the Phills resulted in a 12-10 record and 3.98 ERA. The Fish could have really used that production down the stretch.

Hellickson will doubtfully be the target of any trades this season as he is commanding a $17 million salary for the 2017 season. If Hellickson can duplicate his production from the 2016 season, that may not be a bad investment for the Phillies who are already sporting a relatively young staff and team overall.

Both by not having him period, as well as having to face him repeatedly, feel free to lay a lot of the blame for 2016 Marlins misfortunes at Hellickson’s feet. Solving him specifically will be key to 2017 success.

Next: Dream Big: Three Trade Choices For Fish

And who knows? Come July, he’s very likely to be dangled again as trade bait if the Phillies are selling. It’s never too early to start scouting.

That’s all for this series Fish fans. See you back at Marlins Park on Friday.

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