Current Series
Rays lead the series 2-0
| Fri 06/08 | WP: Burke Badenhop (1 - 1) LP: Ricky Nolasco (6 - 4) | 1 - 5 loss |
| Sat 06/09 | WP: Matt Moore (3 - 5) LP: Carlos Zambrano (4 - 4) | 4 - 13 loss |
Tampa Bay Rays Sunday, Jun 10, 2012, 1:10 PM EDT James Shields vs Anibal Sanchez Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 90.
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Break out the broom breakers, because the Miami Marlins are trying to bust a sweep.
The Fish are looking to avoid a second straight sweep and a sixth straight loss, but they will be facing a tall order. On the plus side, they send the team's best starter this season in Anibal Sanchez. On the downside, they face one of the Rays' best in previous trade target James Shields.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Rays | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .559 | 3.47 | 2.78 | 3.19 | Sanchez | Shields | 4.27 | 3.83 | 3.88 | .509 |
Anibal Sanchez had a five-run start in the last start, but he still struck out seven batters in 5 1/3 innings and was generally solid. He has continued to pitch well over the last few weeks despite the occasional bad start. Sanchez's strikeout rate continues to impress, as it stands at 24.2 percent this season compared to 24.3 percent last year. His skills have been strong since 2009 and have improved in these last two years, and at this point it is hard to argue that he is not the best pitcher on the staff.
James Shields had a dominant 2011 season but he is struggling to return to that level in 2012. At this point, he is matching the performance of his pre-2011 seasons, when he posted ERAs consistently higher than his FIP. Right now, his performance more closely matches his career ERA and FIP (3.98 and 3.90 respectively). The Marlins are hoping he continues underperforming his peripherals today.
Lineup
| Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. RHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | .351 |
| 2 | Omar Infante | .321 |
| 3 | Hanley Ramirez | .354 |
| 4 | Giancarlo Stanton | .385 |
| 5 | Logan Morrison | .350 |
| 6 | Gaby Sanchez | .322 |
| 7 | Chris Coghlan | .314 |
| 8 | Brett Hayes | .293 |
Gaby Sanchez has been promoted, as the Marlins designated Donnie Murphy after last night's game. I will have more on Sanchez's return tomorrow, but it is clear his projections are down after a rough start to the 2012 season. Hopefully he can recover from his extended slump.
Bold Prediction: Rays def. Marlins 2-1