After a successful 4-2 home stand, the Miami Marlins hit the road once again for six games against NL Central foes.
The Miami Marlins as mentioned previously had a successful home stand taking four of six against the Rockies and Braves. This was encouraging to see after a rough road-trip, but now the Marlins must hit the road again with a trip to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals up first.
The Cardinals meanwhile come into this series desperately needing a win. Despite being only a game below .500, St. Louis has a 1-9 record in their last 10 games which includes a 3-game sweep to the Cubs over the weekend. The Cardinals also display a -31 run differential, the fourth worst in the National League.
The first pitch times and probable pitching matchups for each game of the series can be found below (Games at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO):
Miami Marlins (29-36, 4th in NL East) vs St. Louis Cardinals (32-33, 4th in NL Central)
Monday, June 14
First Pitch: 8:15 pm ET
Probable Starters: Braxton Garrett (0-1, 6.43 ERA) vs Adam Wainwright (4-5, 4.03 ERA)
Tuesday, June 15
First Pitch: 8:15 pm ET
Probable Starters: Trevor Rogers (7-3, 2.02 ERA) vs TBD
Wednesday, June 16
First Pitch: 1:15 pm ET
Probable Starters: Sandy Alcantara (4-5, 3.39 ERA) vs Johan Oviedo (0-2, 5.72 ERA)
Cardinals Players to Watch
- 3B Nolan Arenado (#28) – .281 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI
- LF Tyler O’Neill (#27) – .286 AVG, 15 HR, 32 RBI, 5 SB
- 3B Tommy Edman (#19) – .264 AVG, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 12 SB
Key To Win Series: Pitching
As you can see above, the Marlins are starting two of their three best starters. Miami needs to take advantage of a slumping team here to collect wins, and that happens with strong pitching from the Marlins starters and bullpen.
Series Predictions
Offensive MVP: Starling Marte
Who else could it be? Marte has been outstanding in recent games, and will look to continue that success on an important road-trip.
Pitching MVP: Braxton Garrett
How about Garrett here? Scheduled to draw the start in Game 1, could we see the best start of the young prospects’ career?
Bold Prediction: Marlins Sweep
The Marlins come into this series playing good baseball, and the Cardinals aren’t, simple as that. Don’t be surprised if Miami takes at least two and maybe all three games in St. Louis.