Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates: Three stories to watch

The Miami Marlins return to the former home of pitching whisperer Jim Benedict, looking to bounce back in a huge four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With two struggling teams squaring off, it might seem as if billing this as huge is a reach. But that epic Miami Marlins slump in May was largely started by these Pirates.

Seeing the club exact revenge would go a long way towards making Marlins fans feel better about the chances for a June rally.

A series win would offer something even more significant:

Miami’s first tie breaker over a National League opponent. It’s way, way too early to talk about such things. Except, it really isn’t calendar wise. Not with mid-June less than a week away.

If we’re looking at a turned around Marlins team in late July, a series like this one is going to matter.

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Plenty of entertaining Miami Marlins milestones have been talked up already in this series. Last night saw Giancarlo Stanton celebrate the seventh anniversary of his arrival in the majors.

It was also well anticipated follow up start after a no-hitter from Edinson Volquez. Looking down the road to Sunday’s finale, Jeff Locke will face the Pirates for the first time in his career after six years with the team.

Whether that means an advantage for  hitters, or for the pitcher, will only add added drama to that pivotal start from Locke.

Succeed, and he likely remains in the rotation. Stumble, and he’ll be looking like the bullpen option he was projected to be in the offseason.

However, if you are really thirsting for some added Marlins subplots, kindly direct your attention to these top three stories to watch. From a formerly lauded matchup of All-Star outfields, to an answer to what to expect the rest of the way in 2017, to a curious pitching decision, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s dive in.

Who Wins the Battle of the Top NL Outfields?

Well, at least that’s what the Pittsburgh Pirates marketing department told fans when tickets went on sale this offseason.

For the past few years, a plethora of pundit prognostication pegged the Marlins and Pirates as possessing the best two outfielding units in the business. Miami is arguably putting together their best combined case since 2014.

Starting with the Starling Marte suspension, the Pirates have had a rough start to the 2017 campaign. Both Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco have looked like shells of their former selves, especially the former NL MVP.

That said, the duo has picked up their play a little of late, and sleeping on that fact would be a huge mistake for Marlins pitchers this weekend.

Still, between disappointing production and even more disappointing records, this showdown lacks some of the glamour it has had in seasons past. It might also be the last time the contest takes place.

McCutchen is no lock to remain a Pirate in 2018. There’s a new story every day about the Marlins being poised to deal away one of their All-Star caliber outfielders.

Bottom-line, enjoy the fireworks while you can. Whichever group puts up more of them will probably win the series for their respective ballclub.

Was It About Bour or Wrigley?

Well, the streak had to end eventually. What matters now is that the Miami Marlins do their best to ensure the Cubs series goes down as bump in the road to recovery and not another derailment.

For the most part, the Marlins were a different team offensively in this series. Which begs the question, was this all about the absence of Justin Bour from the lineup? Or was it just a matter of having to play the defending World Champions at home?

The answer will go a long way towards determining how this series will play out for Miami.

And as indicated in the last series preview, it will also say a lot about what to expect the rest of the season. Losing to the Cubs, even with a healthy Bour, is forgivable. The Pirates, even with some hotter hitting of late, have lost six of their last ten.

They’re a sub-500 team. The only thing they really share in common with the Marlins is that they have both failed to live up to expectations.

If you compare the clubs on paper, this should be a split for Miami at worst. The Pittsburgh advantage in pitching is slight for the season, but lopsidedly in Miami’s favor the past week. Hitting flips the script, with Miami decidedly winning the year long battle and coming just short lately.

Basically, the Marlins can’t come up short in this one.

If they can ride Pittsburgh out, they’re looking at a week with five games against weaker competition. Add a pair of off days before their next test and things are looking up. Plenty of time to get Bour back, maybe even Martin Prado.

Let’s hope the Marlins have it in them.