The Miami Marlins are going for the series win this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies, and there is not a better man on the hill for that to happen other than Josh Johnson. JJ will take the hill for the Fish opposite prized pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz, the top name coming back from the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. The Marlins will look to hold back a Rockies offense that has been resilient throughout the series while taking advantage of an outmatched Rockies rotation in the thin air of Coors Field.
Pitching Matchup
Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Rockies | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.652 | 2.77 | 3.08 | 3.73 | Johnson | Pomeranz | 5.04 | 4.38 | 4.82 | .407 |
Josh Johnson has been closer to the Josh Johnson of old for a while now, though it has been tough to notice with that inflated BABIP. Still, since the start of May, his rate of hits allowed on balls in play is right around the league average, so regression to the mean has certainly returned Johnson back to form. In his last start, he was stellar as usual, striking out seven and walking just one in eight innings pitched. Unfortunately, he allowed a Jimmy Rollins home run on the first PA of the game and that turned out to stick, as the offense couldn't pick up his excellent game. But the offense has been less of an issue against the Rockies.
Drew Pomeranz, unlike many of the other starters we have seen from the Rockies this series, has actually been a decent pitcher despite his 5.04 ERA. He has a passable strikeout rate (19.3 percent), and while he needs to cut down on walks, there is certainly room for growth here, given his talent. Here's hoping the Marlins are not the starting point for that growth, however.
Lineup
Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. LHP |
---|---|---|
1 | Emilio Bonifacio | .311 |
2 | Justin Ruggiano | .348 |
3 | Jose Reyes | .350 |
4 | Carlos Lee | .349 |
5 | Giancarlo Stanton | .401 |
6 | Donnie Murphy | .297 |
7 | John Buck | .297 |
8 | Donovan Solano | .297 |
The lineup this afternoon welcomes back Emilio Bonifacio, Justin Ruggiano, and Donnie Murphy. Ruggiano left in the last game of the Philadelphia Phillies series, as he has been suffering from back spasms. Meanwhile, Bonifacio and Murphy are returning from the DL.
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Rockies 6-4