Previewing the upcoming Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves series

Tonight starts an important series for the Miami Marlins, as The Fish take on the Atlanta Braves. It’s an especially vital series as both teams are in a tough division race, with Miami at 17-20 (win-loss record) and Atlanta at 17-21. Miami is 7.5 games out of first place and Atlanta is 8 games back. It’s notable that the division leading (actually more like dominating) New York Mets just lost ace Max Scherzer to an oblique injury. They’re also missing ace Jacob deGrom, so while those players hopefully get healthy, it opens an opportunity for the other teams in the division.

The Miami Marlins have an important series this weekend against the Atlanta Braves.

There are major storylines going into this series… Will Miami Marlins LF Jorge Soler be healthy enough to play during the series? He was getting back on track prior to getting back issues. If Soler is able to play, then it’s a strong possibility that The Fish can receive the run support that we definitely need in this series. If he doesn’t play then that puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on the rest of the lineup to deliver enough runs to win.

Will Cole Sulser finally officially take over as the new closer for the Miami Marlins? The Fish blew too many late leads lately and a dominant closer is badly needed. Cole Sulser can indeed be that guy. I think that the games in this series could easily end up being determined by a few runs, so having that certainty late in games is vital to The Fish’s success.

The Miami Marlins are currently scoring an above average 4.27 runs per game, compared to Atlanta scoring a below average 4.08. the difference is small, but The Fish are hitting better and the numbers are close. Of course this also depends on Soler being in the Miami lineup. The Miami Marlins have one of the best team ERA’s in the game with 3.33, while the Atlanta Braves have a below average 3.93 mark. Miami is ahead in both hitting and pitching.

This is a key series for the Miami Marlins, as winning at least 2 out of 3 would make the possibility at a division run more realistic, while Atlanta needs to win this series to save what is increasingly looking as a lost season for the defending World Champions. The best part for the Miami Marlins is that it’s a home series. It’s time for Miami to bring the heat and not just in basketball.