Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview

After dropping two of three in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, the Miami Marlins carry a 3-4 record on this road-trip into Philadelphia for a very important early season divisional matchup.

We are officially 40 games into the Miami Marlins‘ season with the Fish sitting at 18-22 overall, and 4th in the NL East. After posting a 3-4 mark so far on this road-trip, Miami now travels to Philadelphia to begin an important early season NL East division matchup.

This series presents one thing in particular for Miami, opportunity. The Phillies are currently 2nd in the NL East at 21-20, and are only 2.5 games ahead of the Marlins in the standings. When looking for opportunities to make-up ground in the standings, there aren’t any clearer than this series.

The first pitch times and probable pitching matchups for each game of the series can be found below (Games at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA):

Miami Marlins (18-22, 4th in NL East) vs Philadelphia Phillies (21-20, 2nd in NL East)

Tuesday, May 18

First Pitch: 7:05 pm ET

Probable Starters: TBD vs Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.85 ERA)

Wednesday, May 19

First Pitch: 7:05 pm ET

Probable Starters: Trevor Rogers (5-2, 1.84 ERA) vs Zach Eflin (2-2, 3.86 ERA)

Thursday, May 20

First Pitch: 7:05 pm ET

Probable Starters: Sandy Alcantara (1-3, 4.06 ERA) vs Vince Velasquez (1-0, 3.68 ERA)

Key to Win Series: Limit Phillies HRs

The Phillies have many players capable of hitting home runs up and down their lineup. Especially with the short porch in right field at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies have multiple guys that if they get hot, the HRs come fast and often. The Marlins pitchers, starters and bullpen, must keep the ball out of the air in order to win this series.

Series Predictions

Offensive MVP: Jazz Chisholm

Chisholm announced his return from the IL on Sunday at Dodger Stadium in a big-way going 2/5 at the plate with a stolen base. Jazz may return to the leadoff spot against the Phillies, and could cause havoc on the base-paths when he gets on.

Pitching MVP: Dylan Floro

Floro has been outstanding in late innings this season posting a 2-1 record with a 0.96 ERA. You should expect to see Floro, arguably a righty specialist, often to matchup with the Phillies right-hander power hitters.

Bold Prediction: Ross Detwiler plays a massive role

Detwiler, a soft-contact pitcher, could be used often in the middle innings in this series. I however think we will get at-least one matchup of Detwiler vs Bryce Harper in a lefty-lefty showdown in a potential big moment in this series.

This is not only a divisional matchup, which are always fun from start to finish, but also an opportunity. If the Marlins can win at least two of the three games, they’ll find themselves scratching at the top of the NL East.