Marlins and Pirates: Three Stories To Watch
TGIF Marlin Maniacs, and welcome back at long last to South Florida as the Miami Marlins prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates are very much a team in limbo, much like Seattle. Both were supposed to have a much better record than they presently do, but also beset by injuries and suspensions. So it’s a golden opportunity for the Miami Marlins pounce.
Except that it has all the makings of a trap series.
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Miami was pretty dominant against the Pirates last season, going 6-1 in the season series. Starling Marte is suspended, and Andrew McCutchen looks nothing like the player that finished in the Top 5 in MVP voting three consecutive seasons. The series is at home, with the team finally back at Marlins Park, after that exhaustive road trip.
Trap, trap, trap.
Of course, it could also be exactly what the doctor ordered. If nothing else, it should be fun to watch. Even with the Pittsburgh outfield issues listed above, we’re still talking five sixths of the National Leagues two best outfields facing off. Both teams hit in bunches in 2016. Each finishing in the Top 5 in the NL in batting average.
Offense will be a thing in this one.
So without further ado, here are three stories to watch. Let’s dive in.
Slumbering Sluggers?
If you have ever needed to know what anemic offense looks like, you might want to ask Marlins sluggers Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton. The fearsome twosome went just 1 for 15 in Philadelphia.
Certainly for much of the season, especially in Marcell’s case, the production has been there. It was even noted in our preview for that series that Stanton is terrible at Citizens Bank. So don’t want to go too knee jerk, what have you done for me lately here.
However, the excuses and pardons will fall away quickly if production doesn’t pick back up on the home front. Two games does not make much of a sample size. But, my eyes will be wide open to see if the Marlins two most prolific power hitters snap out of it or continue sliding into a slump.
Will It Be A Winning April?
This is a repeat from our Phillies preview in many respects, but that was focused mainly on the Marlins record in NL East play.
Now, thanks to that abysmal offensive effort against the Phillies, this series is all about one thing: will the Fish get to have a winning record in April or not?
While it is just one month, I’d say a home series against a struggling team is a good opportunity to see what Miami is made of.
Between a couple near no-hitters and some home run heavy performances, there has been a sense that things are looking rosy for the cub. They very well might be. In fact, I choose that perspective.
But, this is also a team that has lost two of their last three series, and lost them to teams with a worse record.
If the Marlins can handle the Pirates, then we can head into May blaming jet lag and weather weirdness for those struggles. If not, there’s cause for concern.
Will Hechavarria Continue Hitting For Marlins?
Lastly, now that Adeiny Hechavarria has been back for a bit. Now the time has come to revisit the offensive prowess of the Miami Marlins starting shortstop.
The big question while he was hurt was, offensively at least, would he be missed? Miguel Rojas did his best to show the answer was no.
Once he returned, the question became would Hechavarria show any signs he could produce enough at the plate? So far, somewhat surprisingly, the answer might be yes.
The star defender brings a three game hitting streak into the weekend series. That’s pretty encouraging given his 2016 struggles.
It’s the kind of production that should make Marlins fans calling for his head take notice. But it’s also the kind of production that should be rekindling interest in rival GMs.
Hechavarria is arguably the one starting position player the Marlins have that is simultaneously valuable and expendable. He certainly helps the team out, but if he can be used to bring in a better starting pitcher or an impact bat, that helps the team out all the more. Returning to his previous season form gives Miami options.
Next: Should Fernandez be Memorialized?
Either way, he’s presently the big question mark in the lineup. This series will go a long way towards determining whether or not the Fish have a shortstop controversy on their hands, even it’s just in the imaginations of the fans.
That’s all for this series. Let’s hope it goes better than the last one.