The Miami Marlins are looking to take the series win tonight as they face the Philadelphia Phillies in the third and final game of this series before they head home for a six-game home stand. After a solid victory and an ugly defeat in the first two games, the Fish send their veteran staff leader to the mound to face an undermanned Phillies offense and hope that their own bats wake up against one of the Phillies' back-end rotation members.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Phillies | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .532 | 3.69 | 2.63 | 3.00 | Buehrle | Blanton | 13.50 | 7.29 | 4.43 | .447 |
The Marlins are getting one of the weaker pitchers in the Phillies rotation tonight in Blanton, who had a mediocre outing in his lone bullpen appearance earlier in the season. Blanton was taken for two hits and a run in less than inning's worth of work, which accounts for his current ridiculous ERA and FIP. Buehrle, on the other hand, had a solid outing against the Cincinnati Reds that ended in a Marlins shutout and a tough loss for Buehrle. He will get a chance to impress again tonight against a weakened Phillies lineup.
One important point to note is that Buehrle is slightly cut up on his left thumb, as he cut his thumb prior to his Cincinnati start while opening a mayonnaise jar to make a sandwich. Yes, that is right, he hurt himself while making a sandwich. Then again, taking a look at the husky Buehrle, one would expect him of all the Marlins' players to hurt himself making a sandwich (well, maybe not more than Heath Bell).
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 |
There should not be much of a change between last night's lineup and tonight's lineup given the relative lack of need to rest certain players. Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton did not look great in the outfield yesterday evening, but that may have had more to do with their mental errors on the field rather than any physical problems. Here is hoping that Morrison does not airmail more throws to home plate tonight, as the Marlins can ill afford further mental missteps from an already questionable (but improved from last year) fielding unit.
Notes
- Apparently former University of Miami graduate and top baseball prospect Pat Burrell will return to the team with whom he is most connected, the Philadelphia Phillies, for one day and retire as a Phillie. Congratulations to Burrell on a solid baseball career that ended not so hot and not too surprisingly. The Good Phight has the reaction.
- Bill Baer (friend of Fish Stripes) of Crashburn Alley discusses Charlie Manuel's poor management of his bullpendue to his stringent following of the save rule. I am extremely annoyed by that managing policy, but what perhaps annoyed me the most is that Baer called the Marlins the "Florida Marlins" multiple times. It's Miami, Bill!
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Phillies 4-1