The series that can decide if the Miami Marlins make the playoffs
The Miami Marlins have a difficult schedule going forward. This is especially concerning as The Fish are in a tight NL Wild Card playoff race. The MLB Postseason coming to Miami for the first time since 2003 in a full regular season is extremely important. So important, that Kim Ng "pushed the chips in" during the Trade Deadline. So, what is the toughest series going forward?
The Miami Marlins have a tough schedule ahead in September.
The Fish have a tight competition in the NL Wild Card race... there's the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and perhaps even the San Diego Padres. Of course the team doesn't have to pass two of those teams, as the third Wild Card spot is still enough to make the playoffs.
Cincinnati and Chicago will face each other on September 1-3. I'm excited for that series, because every loss for either team is good news for the Miami Marlins. The San Francisco Giants will face the Los Angeles Dodgers quite a bit in September. They also have to face the San Diego Padres. These are all important games, and each loss for one of the teams helps The Fish a lot.
Cincinnati and Arizona start a series tomorrow too, and once again that's good for our team. On September 11-September 14 the Miami Marlins square off with the Milwaukee Brewers. I'm concerned about that series, as it might ultimately end up deciding if The Fish make the playoffs this season or not.
The Milwaukee Brewers will likely win the NL Central, despite not having a particularly good lineup. They're still a solid team, which is of course a concern since the Miami Marlins have to play them so often in September. This also means "reuniting" with current Milwaukee LF Christian Yelich. The same Yelich who I recently wrote about as being in one of the worst trades in Miami Marlins history. Yelich struggled with injuries in the last few years, but he's having a rebound campaign. Will he be extra motivated to produce? This is going to be a key series to watch.