Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs: Three stories to watch

Who Wins The Second Round Of Who’s The Best First Baseman?

Miami Marlins fans were treated to a pretty impressive show at the first base position this past weekend, as Justin Bour and Paul Goldschmidt went head to head for four games at Marlins Park. One of them was the best first baseman in baseball in May, and the other is widely regarded as one of the top players in the game.

Both picked up five hits in the series, along with one HR. Goldschmidt did come out on top in RBIs 6-4, though Bour actually outperformed the fantasy stud 1-0 in the stolen base department.

However, neither one is anywhere near as likely to start at first base in the All-Star Game than Anthony Rizzo.

On the most recent ballot, Rizzo narrowly trails the resurgent Ryan Zimmerman for the honor despite batting just .236 on the season. Bour has been substantially better, and is in serious danger of actually becoming a .300 hitter.

How the rising Marlins star acquits himself against the established face of the Cubs franchise should make for some highlights, especially with the short fences of Wrigley being all that stands between them and Waveland Avenue.

Seeing Bour outproduce Rizzo would not only likely mean the Marlins had held their own in the series, but also serve as further evidence that Bour is deserving of serious consideration for a bench spot in the midsummer classic.

After all, his prospective manager would have a great view from the opposite dugout.

Can Some Former NL Central Pitchers Finally Solve Chicago? 

The biggest and most significant challenge for the Miami Marlins in this matchup will fall equally on the shoulders of Jeff Locke and Dan Straily.

Straily has been the lone model of pitching consistency for the Fish so far this season. Locke was a revelation his first time out, and his second start would be worthy of special interest regardless of the opponent. Besides having been fun to watch so far, the pair of teammates do share something else in common:

Both have been flat out destroyed by the Chicago Cubs.

Locke and Straily both have NL Central service time under their belts with the Pirates and Reds respectively. So plenty of Cubs exposure has come along with that. Admittedly, the sample size is a bit small for Straily given his one year of experience.

The same cannot be said of Locke, who played for the Pirates from 2011 to this offseason.

The numbers aren’t pretty. In 2016, Straily went 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA against virtually the exact same team he’ll play Monday night. Locke was better by comparison, going 0-2 with a 6.75 mark. Across all twelve appearances of his career, Locke “improves” to 1-4 with an ERA of 6.00. In both cases, it’s been pretty tough sledding.

Success in this series obviously depends on a couple of former Cub doormats figuring out how to solve a lineup they’ve yet to show any ability to solve.

Or not.

Between the play of the bullpen and the offense the past week, the Marlins might be able to absorb a couple of six-run starts. Probably best not to count on that though.

How Will The Marlins Use Barraclough? 

The time has come to take a pretty close look at Miami Marlins reliever Kyle Barraclough.

He did have a brilliant 6th inning in Sunday’s finale, but that was also only the second time in his last twelve appearances he managed to avoid allowing a baserunner. The Marlins were just granted the honor of having the Bullpen of the Week.

But lost in the praise was the fact that Miami’s only losses in their past ten games fall pretty much exclusively on Barraclough’s shoulders.

Three of his past five outings have resulted in runs, and his penchant for issuing free passes has led a sickening 8.1 BB/9 rate for the season. The question of whether he can be trusted in any kind of close situation may have been briefly put aside by yesterday’s performance, but still has to be pressing on Don Mattingly‘s mind.

So keep an eye on how Barraclough is deployed these next few games. The initial answer will be pretty telling as to whether Sunday’s outing is being viewed as an aberration or a turning point. Personally, I think he needs to put together one or two more lower impact innings before being trusted in a Hold situation again.

Next: Check Out The Marlins No-Nos

That’s all for this series Marlin Maniacs. Here’s to the hoping the Marlins can do their best to keep that victory flag from flying, and the singing at Wrigley limited to those seventh inning cameos. Catch you Thursday for the Pirates.