Miami Marlins Spring Training Starting Rotation Preview (Pt. 5)

Three-quarters of the way into the Spring Training schedule, the Miami Marlins rotation is starting to take shape.

This Spring Training, the Miami Marlins have completed 23 contests, winning 13 of them, including the last nine-in-a-row. Every Monday, we take a look inside the possible rotation. On Tuesdays, the outfield gets a look. Wednesdays we dig into the bullpen. On Thursdays, we catch up with the catchers, and on Friday we take a trip around the diamond for the infielders.

Chances at making the Opening Day roster are estimated entirely by me, and do not reflect the opinion of FanSided. This article will be focusing on the games played from March 11th through 17th. Seven pitchers remain in the mix for the Opening Day rotation.

Trevor Richards started Tuesday’s contest, an 8-1 victory against the New York Mets. His opponent – reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom – surrendered two runs in his five innings of work. Richards earned the victory, keeping the Mets off the board and mostly off the basepaths. He surrendered two hits and a walk over five innings, striking out six.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 12: Trevor Richards #63 of the Miami Marlins pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 12, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Richards started Sunday’s contest as well, against the St. Louis Cardinals. His start was the best out of a pretty good bunch of starts through the spring. He faced 20 batters and threw a total of 69 pitches, lasting six innings without surrendering a run, a hit, or a walk. He wasn’t throwing a perfect game because of a pair of Miami Marlins errors over the first six innings. The no-hitter proceeded until the ninth inning, when the Cardinals got to reliever Tayron Guerrero. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 95 percent

On Wednesday, pre-designated rotational “ace” José Ureña started against the St. Louis Cardinals, and held them to a run on two hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three batters. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 100 percent

DENVER, CO – JUNE 24: Caleb Smith #31 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a game at Coors Field on June 24, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Caleb Smith made his spring debut on Wednesday against St. Louis, and pitched four perfect relief innings while striking out six Cardinals for the victory, Miami’s fifth straight. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 60 percent

Dan Straily made his fourth start this pre-season on Thursday in a 12-6 win against the Houston Astros. Straily has clearly seen better days than this one. He surrendered four earned runs on eight hits and two walks in only 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two, but also gave up two home runs. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 95 percent

MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Wei-Yin Chen #54 of the Miami Marlins throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park on September 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

On Friday, the Miami Marlins entrusted embattled high-dollar right-hander Wei-Yin Chen with a start. Over four innings, he allowed another three runs on seven hits and a walk. The substandard start actually lowered Chen’s spring ERA to 9.53. There is a pretty good chance that Chen will commence this season working out of the bullpen. Opening Day Roster Chance: 90 percent Opening Day Rotation Chance: 10 percent

MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 07: Pablo Lopez #49 of the Miami Marlins throws a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park on August 7, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

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Taking the pill from Chen on Friday, Pablo Lopez earned a victory in a five-inning relief appearance. The Miami Marlins topped the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in the end, and Lopez allowed three runs in five innings. It wasn’t as bad as it looks, though. One of the runs scored when a baserunner was planted at second to start the ninth inning, and one of the other two was unearned as well. Lopez struck out three and gave up five hits while walking zero. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 80 percent

The Miami Marlins topped the New York Mets once again on Saturday, this time by an 11-6 final score. Sandy Alcantara had his most uneven outing of camp, giving up nine hits and a walk in just 3 1/3 innings. He also struck out seven and allowed all six Mets runs. With Alcantara’s high volume of walks surrendered this spring, there’s a near-even chance that he may open the campaign with the triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, in the Pacific Coast League. Opening Day Rotation Chance: 60 percent

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