Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers: Three stories to watch

The Miami Marlins will get their last road trip of the first half started with a visit to the beautifully average Miller Park to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Well, that was a dispiriting way to wrap up the homestand for the Miami Marlins. Amazing how wide the gulf between 5-5 and 6-4 is in the grand scheme.

However, time to regroup and look forward. The next time you’ll see Fish playing at Marlins Park, it will be just two or three of them accompanied by the other best players in the game of baseball.

The first half wraps with a ten game odyssey that traverses the country, starting tonight in Milwaukee, passing through the baseball mecca of St. Louis, and wrapping way out west in San Francisco.

Miami will certainly need those four days off.

Their toughest series though might be the first one on deck. The newly returned Ryan Braun is showing no signs of rust, having homered in consecutive games. He’ll lead a Brewers club that has kept a surprising grip on first place in the NL Central for much of the season.

Important no matter how you look at it

And whether your focus remains on seeing the Miami Marlins challenge for a place in the postseason, or just playing well enough to impress the trade vultures, this Miller Park tilt is absolutely a show-me series for Miami.

Win, and they’ve proven they can hang with another Wild Card challenger. Lose, and the recent run of success looks more and more like the product of having played some softer competition.

If nothing else, it will be a series filled with interesting subplots.

For many, the weekends games are likely secondary to the grander narratives of sale talks and All-Star nominations. But there are stories to watch for on the field as well. From the newest member of the Miami Marlins rotation, to a mini-Home Run Derby, to some hopefully excellent pitching, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s dive in