Can the Miami Marlins still make the playoffs?

Eury Perez
Eury Perez | Andy Lyons/GettyImages

The Miami Marlins were winning at a record pace before the Trade Deadline. That's a distant memory now. The Fish are collapsing and suddenly making the playoffs is becoming less and less of a reality. Recently acquired pitchers have been terrible, and returning phenoms are too rusty to help. What happened to the once red-hot team? Is the dream of making the playoffs this season over? Is there still a chance?

The Miami Marlins are trying to make the playoffs.

Fangraphs has playoff projections to help us. The NL East is a done deal. The Atlanta Braves are running away with the division, and are at 100% to make the playoffs. Yes 100%. The Philadelphia Phillies are at 81.8% to make the playoffs and 81.3% to take a Wild Card spot. The Cincinnati Reds are at 26.2% to make the playoffs and 15.2% to clinch the Wild Card. The Chicago Cubs are at 47% and 26.2%. The Milwaukee Brewers are at 76.5% to make the playoffs, expected to win their division.

The San Francisco Giants are at 78% to make the playoffs and 68.8% to get a Wild Card spot. The Arizona Diamondbacks are at 22% and 21.4%. What about the Miami Marlins? The Fish are at 26.7% to make the playoffs and the same to take a Wild Card spot. These are not great odds to say the least.

Of course these are just predictions and projections. Anything can happen. How does The Fish's schedule look going forward? Two more games in Cincinnati against the Cincinnati Reds. The Fish need to win both at this point. The weekend brings a home series against the New York Yankees, that at least should be a split. Aa 3 game home series against the Houston Astros comes next (ugh). After that is a 3 game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Following that is a 3 game away series against the San Diego Padres.

Things get better with a 3 game home series against the Washington Nationals. The Fish then have a 2 game home set against the Tampa Bay Rays; a 4 game road series with Washington; a 3 game home series with LA; a 3 game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies; 4 game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers; 3 game home series against the Atlanta Braves; 3 game home series against the New York Mets; 3 game home series against Milwaukee. Things get easier with two road series against the Mets (3 games), and then the Pittsburgh Pirates (4 games).

The Miami Marlins have a very tough schedule, but can The Fish do it? I still believe in the team.

Schedule