The Miami Marlins are looking to escape from the controversy of Ozzie Guillen's comments on Fidel Castro and are looking to get back to the familiarity of baseball as they face the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a three-game set. The sad thing is that the last time the Fish were on the field, the team got an impressive win over the Phillies as Anibal Sanchez dominated the Phillies and the Marlins blasted three home runs on their way to a 6-2 win. Hopefully the Fish can continue their winning ways just as they struggle to escape the swirling maelstrom of controversy from the Cuban community at home.
On the plus side, if the Fish and Phils could design a matchup to draw away from the controversy of the Marlins' Castro situation and the oddity of a three-game losing streak for the Phillies, it would be this one.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Phillies | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .667 | 2.66 | 2.37 | 4.50 | Johnson | Halladay | 0.00 | 2.17 | 2.83 | .644 |
This is the marquee matchup of the evening when it comes to pitchers. It does not get much better than Johnson versus Halladay, two of the best pitchers in the National League going head-to-head in what should be another low-scoring affair. What is especially cool about this matchup is that there is a bit of a mini-history between the two men in their face-to-face encounters. Since Halladay arrived in the National League in 2010, there have been three different Johnson-Halladay matchups, and they each have been entrancing pitcher's duels.
| Game 1, 05/29/10 | IP | R | K | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Halladay | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Of course, this was Halladay's perfect game that he threw against the Fish, which the Marlins then commemorated shamelessly by selling commemorative ticket stubbs. It is a shame Johnson got outdueled by a majestic performance, because by all accounts he was having a great game.
| Game 2, 06/10/10 | IP | R | K | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Halladay | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
Once again, both pitchers delivered masterful performances in the rematch just a few weeks later. This time, Johnson came out on top despite being outperformed in terms of peripherals by Halladay, and he prevailed in Philadelphia to get back at the Fish losing in such an embarrassing fashion at home.
| Game 3, 05/10/11 | IP | R | K | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 7 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Halladay | 8 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
In what was bound to be the first of a few matchups in 2011 before Johnson's season-ending shoulder injury, Johnson was once again defeated in terms of peripherals but was a part of the winning team, as the Marlins came away with a 2-1 win despite a complete game by Halladay. Once again, both pitchers were still very impressive, though this was the worst start of the three by Johnson.
Johnson versus Halladay, Part 4 is coming tonight.
Lineup
| Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. RHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | .362 |
| 2 | Emilio Bonifacio | .305 |
| 3 | Hanley Ramirez | .355 |
| 4 | Giancarlo Stanton | .380 |
| 5 | Logan Morrison | .361 |
| 6 | Gaby Sanchez | .338 |
| 7 | Omar Infante | .307 |
| 8 | John Buck | .300 |
This is the Marlins' typical starting lineup, but at least one player is not guaranteed to be in the lineup tonight. Giancarlo Stanton was a late scratch for the first game of the series due to knee soreness, and there is still a chance he is a scratch for tonight's game. If so, expect Austin Kearns to take the lineup despite the presence of the right-handed Halladay, as neither lefty Chris Coghlan or Logan Morrison have any experience in right field. Then again, that has never stopped the Fish from shifting Coghlan around, so who knows what will happen with that.
The rest of the lineup is going to be pretty normal, with the usual speedster trio at the top followed by the power bats. Of course, Omar Infante has lately been making a case for him getting a nod to move up in the lineup, and he likely would if Emilio Bonifacio and Jose Reyes were not doing so well themselves. As long as the Marlins keep hitting, it won't matter where we put these guys of course.
Notes
- This is a hilarious account of how Joecatz of The Good Phight almost missed that Halladay perfect game. Of course, on our side, it would have been a disappointing affair, but it's a great story for him nonetheless.
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Philies 1-0